Normal Redefined
by LyricstoSilence
Summary: (alternate title: the Magic Danganronpa AU that no one asked for) Two years ago, Junko Enoshima and her group of magic-wielding followers brought the world to ruins. Now Makoto Naegi finds himself teaming up with a group of misfit magical teens to try and get back the normal life they once knew. If only it really was as easy as he thought. Rated T to be safe. Will include some FCs.
1. Chapter 1

"Hurry up, Komaru!" he hissed, his voice slightly hushed. The girl behind him fumbled with the grocery bags in her arms, and gave him a worried look. "I'm trying, Makoto," she whispered back, an apologetic look on her face. Makoto frowned slightly, a bit guilty—he was the one who asked her to come with him. Perhaps he shouldn't be so hard on her…

"It's fine," he replied, tugging on her sleeve to get her closer to him, "just… be careful. Don't get too far behind me, okay? I want to make sure you're still safe."

Komaru nodded gently, offering him an unsure smile. Makoto smiled back for a moment, then glanced over his shoulder, slowly taking in all of the sights around him. The debris in the road, stacked up to unimaginable heights—waiting for the perfect crowd to tumble down upon. The broken glass scattered everywhere, glittering in the dull light like tiny fireflies, and crunching under their feet with each careful step they took. The blood that painted the streets, staining the path they walked on with its vivid hue, like a masterpiece of chaos and discord. But this was fine by him. He was used to such sights—this didn't faze him much anymore. Not as much as it used to.

"Is the coast clear?"

With one last scan around the area, Makoto nodded, gently taking his sister's hand and dragging her beside him as the hurried down the street. Both remained silent, the only sounds they could hear being the crinkling of the paper bags filled with food, and their timid footsteps, which echoed softly in the quiet area around them.

Makoto wasn't sure what he used to think of silence—it wasn't something he looked forward to, but he didn't dread it either. But now silence unnerved him. It _terrified_ him, because silence meant a lack of mayhem.

And a lack of mayhem meant it would be starting again soon.

That thought was what propelled him to move quicker—he squeezed Komaru's hand tighter and tried to make his strides longer. They were almost home, just three more blocks—they could make it before anything happened.

Komaru followed behind him, trying not to drop the groceries she carried as she struggled to match his pace. She chewed on the corner of her lip, then took a deep breath in an attempt to placate her fears. She trusted Makoto—he knew what to do. If she listened to him, they would both be okay. That was what she believed. That was what she needed to believe.

There had been an undeniable bond formed between the siblings ever since this outrageous life became casual for them. They had considered their previous relationship to be relatively normal to be honest. They argued a lot, they teased each other for ridiculous, petty things. They played games together and would walk to school with each other. If Komaru was sad, Makoto would cheer her up. If Makoto was sad—which Komaru was surprised how rarely that actually happened—well, she would do her best to make him smile as well. As far as either of them had been concerned, it had been comfortable between the two. Perhaps they had wished they could call their relationship something other than average—but not like this. Never did they want to grow closer under these circumstances.

Both felt rather helpless—and they relied on the other quite often. It seemed to be all they could do to survive at the time, anyway.

They kept walking, and Makoto let out the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding when he saw his mother on the porch, looking for them. Their eyes locked, and the woman let out a sigh of relief, tears filling in her eyes. Makoto and Komaru ran as quick as they could to close the rest of the distance, almost immediately being ushered into their house by their mother. The door clicked closed, and the siblings felt the woman pull them into a hug.

"I was so worried…," she murmured, burying her face in her children's hair—Makoto could feel the warm tears fall on the top of his head at an uneven pace. He felt guilty—he hadn't meant to make his mother worry so much, but then again, what did he expect? He knew she would refuse to let him and his sister out of the house if they outright said they were leaving by themselves. But he didn't want his mother to risk going out by herself either. His father was still away at work—he wouldn't have been back for another hour or so. And they needed food to cook for dinner—as they had nothing at the time. It had seemed like a nice gesture to go out and get the stuff for her—in any other circumstance, she would have appreciated it. But now, he realized, that wasn't the same case. Her two children suddenly disappeared, and she was all alone, unsure of what was happening to them in the world outside. If the way she was trembling as she held them close, like they were a lifeline, was anything to go by—the ideas she had of what happened to cause their disappearance wasn't pleasant in any way.

And Makoto wanted to kick himself for causing that.

"I'm sorry, mom," he said quietly, leaning into her embrace as if to reassure her that he was still alright. Komaru did the same—her head nestled in the crook of the woman's neck, eyes closed and teary. His mother held them closer for a moment longer, then pulled away, wiping away the tears from her eyes—but Makoto realized the gesture was futile because the tears just kept coming. Had he really had her that scared? He felt awful.

"Don't you _ever_ leave like that again, do you _understand_?" she hissed, her voice stern, yet laced with fear. She sounded angry, but Makoto knew she wasn't entirely furious—she was just terrified.

The siblings nodded, but she continued. "I was absolutely capable of getting food for us myself. There was no reason for you two to risk your lives instead…"

Makoto opened his mouth to speak—to protest that she shouldn't have to risk her life every time either—but she cut him off. "No, Makoto. I am an adult, and your mother. It is my job to take care of you kids… I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to either of you."

And after those words left her lips, she pulled them into another hug, her paranoia-driven anger dissipating as quickly as it came. Makoto returned it without hesitation, shifting the bag in his hold so he could curl his arm around her as well.

"Your dad will be home soon," she said, "so help me put the groceries away in the meantime, please."

* * *

Kyoko didn't want to admit it.

She had started this group—this resistance against despair soon after this tragedy had begun—in an attempt to try and stop her. When this all began two years ago, everyone was ready. They weren't the bravest or the strongest, but they were willing. That was what she needed.

She and her group were fighting to reverse any damage done to the world, to try and preserve hope, and stop the madwoman who started all of this.

But she didn't want to admit that she was losing _miserably_.

Even her own resistance didn't have much fight left in them. They were caving in to the despair—less and less did they see reason to rise above it. Kyoko was watching them sink into their own despair—watching their hopes start to slip from their grasp, and watching how they didn't even have the will left to reach out for it anymore.

She didn't want to admit they were losing the battle. But even less so did she want to admit she couldn't do anything about her teammates giving up.

She tried talking to them about it, she tried to raise their spirits and convince them that it would end well if they just tried. Kyoko found that was just as helpful as punching a brick wall to try and get past it.

They didn't believe any of it.

She sat in her chair by the window, waiting for the three to return. She had sent Aoi, Byakuya, and Hotaru out for supplies they would need, and they should have been returning any moment now. _Should have_ being the keywords, she supposed, as they were nowhere in sight.

The group mumbled around her, expressing different ideas of what was taking them so long. Kyoko could almost see the anxiety in the room—and she narrowed her eyes. They were getting nowhere with this.

"If we give up, we surely will die. That's why we have to keep fighting at the very least."

Nobody said a word. The silence was almost suffocating them by the point someone finally spoke up. Kyoko didn't even look Leon in the eyes as he rasped out, "You're _kidding_ , right?"

"What reason would I have to joke around with something this serious?"

Leon ran a hand through his hair, the once bright red now faded to a dull, rusty color. His eyes were intense though, full of emotions that Kyoko wasn't sure she recognized. "How the hell should I know, Kyoko? You… you just…! This is _stupid_ as hell and you _know it_! Keep fighting? Fighting for _what_?"

"Salvation. Hope. Freedom. Choose your reason, if it gets us to the same end result."

Leon let out a bitter chuckle, putting his head in his hands and leaning on the table. Touko—who was sitting next to him, her pen scribbling down random spells in a little leather notebook—glanced between him and Kyoko a few times before opening her mouth. Kyoko briefly wondered whose side she was on in the argument, but with a tired huff Touko closed her mouth, continuing to write down the words Kyoko would never truly understand.

"S-sometimes…," Chihiro whispered, her voice timid and almost broken, "I wonder… why are we even fighting?"

She let out a little squeak, as if she was afraid of being scolded. No one said a word, so she continued carefully. "I-It's just… t-thinking about it, i-it seems… pointless? I-I mean, it just… i-it's all so—,"

"We know what you mean, Chi," Haku said wistfully, his expression almost numb. The ginger haired boy shuffled the cards in his hand, pausing for a moment as he let his finger gently run across the edge of the deck. He was silent, then clenched his fist as tight as he could, opening it up to reveal a card, folded neatly in half. It was a practiced routine, something the boy could do without truly realizing he was, and Kyoko wondered if he was merely bored and trying to occupy his time, or using those kinds of smoke and mirror tricks to cope with his unease.

Haku let the folded card drop unceremoniously on the table, his expression troubled. From the seat next to him, Celeste picked up the card like it was something delicate, unfolding it to see what it was. She stared it for a moment, seemingly musing over the identity, then placed it down face up on the table.

 _The seven of hearts._

Oh, he was still worried about Tomoyo.

Kyoko's mouth twitched into a frown for a moment, before she quickly went back to her usual blank mask. Celeste said nothing about the card he chose, instead placing her hands in her lap, her fingers winding their way around the button-eyed doll that lay limply in her grasp. For a moment, the lavender haired detective wondered why Hotaru left Molly behind, but figured it was for the doll's safe-keeping and left it at that. It wasn't like she would ever understand why the seamstress did the things she did, anyway. Kyoko knew she would likely drive herself mad before she could ever comprehend the other girl's actions.

No one moved after that, the atmosphere dreary and depressing. Kyoko almost swore she could see the darkness of despair seeping into the room—swallowing her teammates whole. The quiet was almost painful—Kyoko scanned around the room, then spoke again.

"Really, what will we achieve by giving up?"

"What will we achieve by still fighting?" Aiko retorted, reaching out for her girlfriend's hand the moment the words passed her lips. Mitsuki obliged almost immediately, lacing her fingers in with the blonde girl's own, and gently squeezing her hand to reassure her of something.

Kyoko made note of how Aiko changed the subject, but chose not to bring it up yet. "If we fight, we won't succumb to her despair. If we fight, we won't be victims to her cause."

"No, you're right," Leon spat, "we won't be victims to her cause. We'll just get ourselves killed for _nothing_ , right?"

"It won't _be_ for nothing if we—,"

"Kyoko," Mitsuki started, her hand still grasping Aiko's, "I understand what you're trying to say. I mean, we all do… but really. It's been two years now, and if anything _has_ changed, it's been for the worse."

Yasuhiro chewed on the corner of his lip momentarily before adding in, "All we're doing is just taking a longer trip to get to the end, right!?"

Kyoko glared briefly—then recomposed herself. "No, we're not. The only way we're going to die for sure is if we give up."

"Y-you can't be s-sure of that…!" Touko murmured, digging her nails into her scalp. "I-I bet one of t-t-these days, w-we're just gonna get s-so close to victory and then we're a-all gonna _die_. Just like that, r-right?"

"That does sound like something she would do," Celeste mused, a sweet smile on her face. Sometimes Kyoko hated that expression dearly—especially because she _knew_ it was false and it just proceeded to mock her. Celeste rested her chin on the backs of her hands before continuing, "After all, she wants to cause the greatest despair she can, does she not?"

"S-so that's it then!" Yasuhiro stammered, "we're only getting our hopes up by fighting! That's her _plan_ , isn't it? She wants us to have high hopes so we—,"

"No, that's not—,"

Kyoko didn't get to finish her protest before Haku chimed in, "Even if it _isn't_ her grand plan, we all know damn well it would happen, right?"

"That might be true, but—,"

"S-see!? Y-you can't e-e-even deny it!"

Kyoko sent the author a brief, scolding look—she was getting tired of getting cut off. The others were getting riled up now, and Kyoko contemplated ways she could calm them. Or, at least try to. She was smart, and she could read people well. She could find facts and reason flawlessly. Yet why was it so damn hard to convince a group of teenagers—no older than she was—to not give up so easily?

They didn't see things the way she did. And she wasn't exactly sure of how to fix that.

At the very least, the discord died down when Byakuya slammed the door open and walked in, followed quickly by Aoi and Hotaru. The girls were carrying multiple bags of supplies—food, clothes, any immediate necessities—while Byakuya simply carried one bag in each hand.

"Y'know, you _could_ have helped a little more," Aoi said, glaring disapprovingly at the heir. He huffed, and looked back at the swimmer with an impassive expression. He said nothing, merely placed the bags down on the table in the corner and sat down in an empty chair with his book—placing himself a noticeable distance from Touko.

Hotaru—who had been silent since arriving—set the bags down wordlessly next to where Byakuya dropped his, and marched over to Celeste. The gambler gave her a smile, and gingerly picked the doll up from out of her lap, handing it to the bluenette. Hotaru grabbed it quickly, muttering out a quiet _thanks_ to her and hugging the small toy close to her chest. Kyoko recalled the emotional attachment Hotaru had to the doll, and decided it was best not to comment. Molly hugged back—at least, that's what Kyoko assumed the enchanted doll was doing. It was hard to tell, but it wasn't like it mattered much.

"You didn't run into too much trouble, right?" Kyoko asked, looking between the three of them.

Aoi shrugged, "We were fine. Nobody was really out today—and the stores weren't busy. We managed to get in and out fast."

"Then what took you so long to return?"

"Precaution," Byakuya said—flipping the page of his book. "With the riots just yesterday, we wanted to be absolutely sure no one was tailing us. For all we know, the Ultimate Despair is still in this town."

Kyoko nodded, then stood up, brushing off her skirt. "In that case… if you'll excuse me, I need some fresh air. I'll be back in an hour."

She waited for some form of acknowledgment from someone, before sighing. "Celeste, please keep things organized while I'm gone."

A soft giggle and a nod was all she received from the gambler—but she expected nothing more, in all honesty. Turning on her heel, Kyoko walked to the door, and left the base without another word.

* * *

At the very least, his mother seemed pleased with what he and his sister bought. The shelves weren't stacked anywhere close to full at the store, so the siblings had to make do with whatever they could grab. In the end, it was mostly fruits of a few varieties, loaves of bread, and cans of soup—but it appeared to be good enough for the time being.

Makoto's father had arrived home around the time they had just finished putting everything away. He greeted them each with a smile and a hug—Makoto wasn't sure if the smile was real, but he appreciated the effort either way. Even if the world around him was falling apart—seeing the people around him smile was practically therapeutic for him. It reminded him of why he kept going and why he kept pushing through every obstacle life threw at him.

Makoto leaned back on the couch, listening to the sounds around him. His parents were in the kitchen cooking dinner, and his sister was sitting in a chair beside him, rereading her favorite manga, and making soft squeals or gasps when she skimmed over her favorite parts of the story. Makoto wondered what scene she had gotten up to when she started to stifle a giggling fit—but he smiled at her reaction either way. For a moment, he could almost forget the tragedy going on just outside his door. He could—for just the smallest bit of time—pretend that this was any casual weekend when he and his family would be eating their dinner in front of the TV, whatever decent show that was scheduled playing in the background. All of those simple things he sort of overlooked.

It was strange to think that everything he missed was still there just two years ago. It felt like it had been decades—yet sometimes, it also felt like it was just yesterday. In the end, Makoto only knew of the current situation—which was that around two years ago, Junko Enoshima brought the world to ruins.

The most spectacular thing about that was that it was almost overnight. One day, the world was happy. Makoto was about to start his freshman year of high school, learning about algebraic expressions and essay writing. He was spending his afternoons with his friends, playing games and joking around with each other. And his weekends would be spent with his family, bonding over simple pleasures like TV dinners or a board game that they would all play. It was what he used to describe as a normal life.

And then, it was almost like the very next day, _normal life_ was redefined.

In the beginning, he wondered if Junko was a magic user herself. He wondered what kind of magic she wielded—was she an elemental? Those _were_ the most common kind after all. Or an enchantress even—that might explain all of those odd little plush bears she would have running around, like they were her very own army. She might have been gifted with using spells or potions as well—then again, anyone could be good with those. He remembered that one boy from junior high—who was born without magic, but could speak the language of spells as if it was the easiest thing to do. Could it be the same for Junko?

Though he was sure it didn't matter what magic she herself possessed—in the end, her group of followers had magic users of all kinds within. Each one was loyal to the end, willing to use their gift to destroy for her—which is what they had spent the past two years doing.

Still…

His head shot up when he heard knocking at the door—the noise startling him out of his memories. From the corner of his eye, he saw Komaru look up as well, wearing an expression of unease. Makoto supposed he would have felt the same, although the knock on the door was in a distinct tempo. Like a song.

 _Wait, it was a song, wasn't it?_

Makoto bolted up from his seat on the couch and ran over to the door, unlocking it to let his friend in. Sayaka's eyes widened, obviously not expecting him to answer so quickly, but she seemed thankful to see him nonetheless.

They both stood there for a moment, smiling at each other, before Sayaka cleared her throat gently.

"… Can I come in?"

"O-oh! Right, of course!" Makoto chuckled, stepping to the side to let the idol enter his house. Komaru smiled, waving happily at the navy haired teen. "Hi, Sayaka!" Sayaka merely stayed still for a moment, looking slightly dazed. Makoto paused, about to question, before the idol quickly blinked and looked over at his sister. Sayaka smiled, waving back at Komaru. "Hello, Komaru. It's nice to see you again," she said, stepping forward as Makoto closed the door behind her. His father had walked into the room at that point, looking at the idol briefly, before smiling. "Good to see you, Sayaka," he said, nodding towards the girl. She smiled back kindly, nodding to him as well. "Likewise, Mr. Naegi."

"Wasn't expecting you to stop by… oh, but it's fine! I'm glad to see you, kiddo," the man said, quickly correcting himself. There weren't any harsh intentions behind his words—thankfully, Sayaka knew what he meant. "No, I understand. I'm sorry for stopping by without notice."

"It's alright," he said, "if you want to stay for a while, that is. We don't mind."

Sayaka smiled softly, looking at the floor, "Thank you, Mr. Naegi."

His father chuckled, and turned back into the kitchen to help his wife with dinner. It took only a few moments for Sayaka's smile to fall, her shoulders sagging a bit as well.

"Are you okay?" Makoto asked, concern etched into his features. Sayaka nodded quietly, but then promptly shook her head, before just shrugging her shoulders. Makoto frowned—he suspected it had something to do with Ayaka. The idol's recent death had made news pretty quickly. And he knew Sayaka thought of her idol group as sisters in a way—the loss of yet another member must have been getting to her.

"Hey, how about we go up to my room and talk a bit? I haven't seen you in a long time…"

Sayaka smiled slightly, turning to Makoto with a tear in her eye. "Yeah, I know. It's been too long… I wish I could have stopped by sooner."

"No, it's okay. I understand—life is busy. You can't help it. But you're here now, right? So c'mon, maybe we can even play a game!"

He was trying to distract her, and they were all aware. Still, the effort was appreciated, and Sayaka just giggled pleasantly, enjoying the boy's optimism. She nodded, and Makoto took her hand, leading her up to his room. Komaru called out after them, telling them to wait for her—the brunette could hear his sister's footsteps echoing behind them.

And once more, Makoto recalled the old times—before the world had fallen to despair. Before that one girl managed to destroy everything. A hopeful smile curled at his lips—moments like these were definitely why he kept fighting.

* * *

 **So, from now on, my A/N will be at the end of chapters, unless I need to put a warning or something important before you start reading.**

 **Speaking of important stuff, disclaimer: I do not own nor do I make claim to the characters of Danganronpa, or the game itself. This is merely a fan story for the fun of it. Any FCs mentioned in this story are mine, however anyone else is not. Again, I do not own nor make claim to Danganronpa.**

 **Anyway! As I get back on track with my other two stories, I also started this one. I already have it all planned out, and the first three chapters already written. So... yeah. I honestly hope this is as enjoyable for you guys to read as it was for me to write and plan out.**

 **Also, on the topic of FCs, don't worry, guys. I'm not making the FCs the main focus of this plot. They're just here to add more numbers to the cast, that's all, really.**

 **If you have any questions about this story, feel free to ask. If the stuff with magic isn't all that clear yet, I apologize, we're working our way there. Review and let me know what you think, because I'd love to know.**

 **That said, I hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2

Komaru mused over her options, staring at the small bowls in front of her two opponents before deciding who her victim would be.

"Never have I ever… worn a hoodie."

Makoto gave his sister a playful pout, before tossing one of the gummies in his mouth. "That's so unfair," he whined, but his lips twitched into a grin that told Komaru he wasn't all that angry about it. At least she hadn't embarrassed him this time, like she had for most of the game before. He swore the two girls were teaming up against him—especially Komaru, who chose to mention things about her older sibling that Sayaka had been unaware of. And honestly, most of those things were subjects Makoto wished Sayaka would have stayed unaware of. Some of the things the idol knew about him were embarrassing enough—he wished Komaru hadn't added more of those to the list. He had sputtered rather indignantly each time Komaru brought something up, wanting to deny it, but not finding the words to say. Still, Sayaka didn't seem to judge him for it—in fact, she would just giggle, finding these new revelations humorous. With her pleasant reactions, Makoto found it hard to stay mad about any part of their game—regardless of how embarrassed he got. As long as she was happy, he didn't mind. It was worth it to see his friends having fun, regardless of the situation they were in at the moment.

"Unfair? What happened to _never have I ever worn a skirt_? That was what can be considered unfair!" Komaru said, poking her tongue out at him. Makoto returned the childish gesture almost immediately, prompting a soft laugh from Sayaka. "Have you two always been like this?" she asked with a giggle.

"I think so, yeah," Makoto admitted with a shrug. The navy haired idol just smiled, somewhat amused by the confession. "Well," she said with a sweet smile, "It's your turn, Makoto. You're down to… three gummies, so make it a good one."

Glancing down at his bowl, he realized her statement was true—he currently had the least amount left. He looked at the other two—Komaru had at least five, while Sayaka had seven or eight gummies left in her bowl. Makoto bit his lip—they really were ganging up against him, weren't they? If that was how they chose to play this game, well, so be it. He could play it, too.

"Never have I ever been in the girl's locker room in school."

"That's cheap!" Komaru called out, picking up a cherry gummy from her bowl, but making sure to stick her tongue out at her brother once more before putting the candy in her mouth. Sayaka picked up a yellow one—Makoto could only assume it was lemon-flavored—and gave Makoto a teasing glare. "Well played," she murmured. Makoto just chuckled, "I'm still gonna lose, but at least I got something this time."

"Don't say that," Sayaka replied, after swallowing the sour gummy. "You never know. I might do something that has Komaru turn on me—,"

"You'd better not," Komaru cut in, her expression turning indignant as she crossed her arms. Makoto chuckled, as Sayaka merely smiled and said, "I'm just pointing out that it's a possibility."

Komaru gave a small pout, then turned to Sayaka. "Your turn, then." Sayaka nodded, and after musing over her possible question, she replied, "Never have I ever had a sibling."

Both Komaru and Makoto gave sounds of protest, but in the end both wound up eating a piece of their candy. "You're cruel," Makoto said in mock betrayal, giving her an exaggerated frown. He couldn't help but crack up a moment later, although his amusement faded when Sayaka's expression became distant and hurt.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it—I just, I mean I…,"

"… No, it's not that," Sayaka mumbled quietly. Makoto blinked, unsure of what had been said that made her so upset. Then it clicked—and he remembered why she had been upset earlier.

"… I know. Ayaka was like a sister to you, right?"

Sayaka just nodded in response, her gaze cast at the floor. Komaru frowned, scooting over slightly to give Sayaka a comforting hug. The idol sniffled a bit, leaning into Komaru's embrace, and whispering a tearful _thanks_ to the other girl. Makoto moved closer as well, placing a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to show support. Sayaka glanced at him, her eyes shiny, but no tears had fallen yet. Makoto decided he wouldn't let tears fall, not if he could help it. She glanced back down at the ground, shaking slightly, and Makoto decided then he needed to do something to help her.

"It's hard, I understand that. I may not know exactly, but I know it must hurt a lot to lose something you care about… I'm always so scared about losing mom or dad, or Komaru… so I know it must be painful when something happens. I'm really sorry it did," he said, his voice quiet, as if to soothe her and her sadness. "Why are you…? It's not like it's your fault," she murmured, but she knew it was out of sympathy rather than guilt. Or, perhaps Makoto did feel guilty—the boy had always been so empathetic to those around him. He always felt the pain they would go through like it was his pain too, and Sayaka had never understood how Makoto could feel so remorseful for things he had no fault in. Sayaka swiped the back of her hand across her eyes, as if trying to dry them, and Makoto gave a gently squeeze to her shoulder to comfort her.

"You cared about all of them like siblings, right? Like family… but even though they're gone, that care for them doesn't go away. I think deep down you know that, too… nothing could make you stop caring about them. Isn't that right?"

Sayaka just gave him a quiet nod, bringing one hand up to hold onto Komaru's arm—this subject hurt so badly for her to face. Makoto was aware of that as well, so he tried to think of his next words carefully. "… You care about them, and you miss them, don't you? So… don't forget them. Remember them, and remember who they were before they died. Remember every good time you had with them. They won't really be gone if you keep their memory alive."

"I-I…," Sayaka began, gripping Komaru's arm a bit tighter, as if trying to reassure herself that there was still someone there holding her. "I don't know if I can do that… i-it hurts to think about what happened to them."

"Then let me help you."

The idol blinked, looking at him as he gave her a determined smile. In all honesty, she had expected some sort of answer like that—but it still meant something to hear him say it for real. Makoto's smile softened into something more soothing as he explained his intentions. "If you can't shoulder this burden on your own, I'll help you. That way no matter what, their memory won't be lost… y'know? So if it hurts you, let me take some of that hurt so you can do it."

"I… can't ask that of you, Makoto."

"Sure you can," he replied, "besides… I'm offering. I don't mind, I really want to help you if you need it."

Komaru spoke up after that, using one hand to gently stroke Sayaka's hair in a calming gesture. "There's nothing wrong with asking a friend for help. If you can't do something on your own, all we have to do is help you. That's what friends are for, right…? Helping each other—that's what you do for friends, right?"

"Okay?" Makoto said with a kind smile—a smile that's sincerity seemed only capable from a boy like him. He offered her his hand, reaching out to her as if to prove he was there to help her. "I promise… I will help shoulder this burden for you, if it helps you."

Sayaka stared at his hand for a moment, not making a sound. Then suddenly, she let out a sob, flinging herself at Makoto and hugging him close as she wept into his shoulder. The boy blinked, obviously taken back by the sudden action, but he didn't complain, instead holding her and attempting to ease her cries. He waited patiently for her to let out all of her sadness—everything she must have been bottling up since the death of one of the people she cared for the most. Eventually, Sayaka's sobs turned into sniffles, before she became completely quiet. Makoto glanced down, looking at the top of her head as she clutched his blazer tightly. He opened his mouth to ask if she was alright, but her quiet voice finally sounded before he could.

"I… thank you. Thank you, Makoto."

She looked up, her eyes red and puffy, and tear tracks trailing down her cheeks—but she still had a small smile on her face. She sniffled once more, before she gave Makoto a proper hug. "I really don't know what I'd do without you," she said. Makoto's cheeks tinted pink for a moment, but he merely smiled and hugged her back, not saying anything. He didn't need to—she knew he would always be there for her. They sat there comfortably for a moment, the room silent.

"Y'know, that's a _really_ long hug…"

"K-Komaru!"

Sayaka let out a soft laugh, glancing at the younger girl for a moment, before turning to Makoto as she pulled away and sat back down. "Sorry, I just…"

"N-no, it's fine, I understand. There's no problem at all. Komaru's just being a pest."

"Hey, I am not!" she protested, "I'm just pointing out the facts!"

"W-what facts? You're just twisting the truth!" Makoto retorted, narrowing his eyes at her in a teasing glare. Sayaka chuckled as Komaru pouted, the brunette girl calling out a brief moment later, "I am not!"

The three of them broke off in giggles—Makoto was sure it was mostly an attempt to lighten up the mood once more. Either way, he didn't argue with it, instead letting the amusement subside on its own. This was nice—it was calm and happy. He liked moments like these.

And the moment was ruined when his mother's scream echoed through the house.

Makoto reeled back in shock, scrambling to his feet as he ran to the closed door of his bedroom. "W-what was that…!?" Komaru asked, panic seeping into her words. Makoto didn't know what to say, or even how to react—his mouth opened, but no answer came out. He didn't know what was wrong—and he was worried about finding out. The sound of glass shattering followed quickly after, and his father began to shout as well. Makoto looked at the two girls, who both wore expressions of terror. Makoto strengthened his resolve, and looked at them with the best stern expression he could manage through his fear. It wasn't much, but he hoped they would listen to him. "Stay here, I'll be right back," he said. Komaru tried to tell him no, tried to tell him it was dangerous and not to leave her there, but she barely managed to call out his name before he swung the door open and rushed to the top of the stairs. His rapid heartbeat was loud in his ears, ringing almost painfully as he ran down a few steps, almost tripping in his mad panic. His gaze darted around the room, searching for his parents. He couldn't find his mother—where was she? What happened? His breath hitched in his throat as he finally saw his father, stumbling backwards like he was being cornered.

"D-Dad! What's wrong? What happened…? W-where… where's mom!?"

His father's eyes locked with his, and for a moment, Makoto saw absolute horror reflected in them. Horror like he had never seen before, and Makoto felt like he couldn't breathe. His father's frantic voice shouted out seconds after. "Go back upstairs Makoto! S-stay with the others…! Now!"

Makoto opened his mouth to protest, desperate to know what was wrong—but as he finally registered the three figures in the room, he snapped his mouth shut, his jaw tightening painfully as he tried not to let out a squeak of fear.

He hadn't seen them before—he didn't know their names on any personal standard. But he knew who they were—who they must have been. There was no other possibility, not with the look in their eyes. They had to have been members of Ultimate Despair.

And in that instant Makoto understood the danger their family was in.

Hiyoko turned to him, a rather vicious smile on her face as she toyed with the ends of her pigtails almost casually. She said nothing, but the look was chilling enough that Makoto took a step back, beads of sweat running down his forehead as he tried to distance himself from her. Makoto's father screamed for him to go back upstairs once more, and Makoto wasted no time following this request. He bolted up the stairs as fast as he could, tripping over his own feet in his mad rush. The moment he set foot in his room, he slammed the door shut, grabbing his desk chair and wedging it under the doorknob.

"Makoto? Makoto, what's happening?" Komaru asked, her voice faltering. Sayaka was up on her feet, staring at the door, then turning to Makoto with a desperate expression. Makoto tried to find the right words, but he couldn't speak at the moment. He could hardly breathe, let alone tell her that they were under attack by Ultimate Despair. The boy fought to remain composed enough to think of a plan. He couldn't go back downstairs, not with them down there. He wanted to help his parents and keep them safe, but logically, what could he do? He couldn't fight off three members of Ultimate Despair—people who had destroyed countless cities and murdered so many people. And now they were next. Makoto didn't want that. He wanted to protect those that he could.

They had to escape.

"Makoto, please, answer me!" Komaru exclaimed, tears in her eyes. Sayaka gripped the younger girl's arm, attempting to calm her as Makoto went over to his bed, tearing off the sheets and blankets. He started to tie knots in them, binding them together like a rope. Komaru let out a quiet cry, trying to ask once more. "W-what… please, Makoto, just tell—,"

They all froze as someone began to gently knock on the door. It was a peaceful and quiet knock, but that only served to make Makoto panic. With the frenzy his father had been in, he doubted it was him.

Komaru barely took a step towards the door before Makoto stopped her. " _Don't_ open it!" he whispered harshly, finally stopping his hands from shaking long enough to tie his blanket to the line he was making.

"Kids? Would you come out for me, please?" Sonia cooed from behind the door, her voice carrying a tone of elegance to it. Komaru squeaked in fear, as Sayaka tugged her away from the door and over to Makoto. The boy had begun to strip off his pillow cases as well, wanting to make sure his makeshift rope was long enough to escape from his bedroom on the second story of the house. The gentle knocking continued, her voice still calmly calling out to them. "Please, children. You are only making this harder on yourselves… just be good and open the door for us?"

"W-what do we do…?" Komaru whispered, tears beading up in her eyes. Makoto gave an experimental tug on each of the knots he made, testing how secure it was. He was sure it would hold long enough for them to get out, and with that decision made he tied it to his bedpost, then grabbed the other end. "Climb down this," he murmured in response, trying to keep his voice quiet as he made his way towards the window.

The scene on the other side of the glass was chaos. Blood was splattered on the streets and walls of homes and buildings alike, and people ran as fast as they could manage, trying to escape with their lives. The Monokuma units that Makoto had come to fear were swarming, attacking the people in their city, clawing and biting and _murdering_ just like they were made to do. The brunette boy swallowed a lump in his throat, then braced himself as he opened the window, throwing the other end of his linen cable out down the side of the house.

Sonia began to knock again, her voice now much more commanding. "Do you really want to anger us? Open this door, right now."

"Komaru, you go first. I want you out of here quickly," he said, not caring if they could hear him on the other side of the door. His sister nodded, gripping his arms as he lifted her up and outside the frame, waiting for her to grab the line before he let go. She whimpered softly, but he only smiled to reassure her that he would be out there soon. He watched her climb down to safety, her movements timid and clumsy. When she touched the ground, she looked up with fearful eyes, begging Makoto to come down with her and not leave her there.

But instead he turned to Sayaka, grabbing her arms. "Please, g-go next," he said, his tone wavering. His terror was catching up to him, and he needed to know that the others would make it out and away from the danger. He needed to be sure of that.

"N-no, Makoto, what if they—,"

"Go."

"Makoto!"

"I said go!"

A heavy slam sounded from the other side of the door, and Makoto watched the chair shift. He bolted over to his door, holding the chair in place as he turned to Sayaka. "Hurry!" he shouted, as someone threw their body against the door once more, the hinges starting to loosen. Makoto gave his friend a pleading glance, begging her to go before it was too late.

This time she nodded, running over to the rope that hung out the window, and gripping it tightly as she began to slide down. He could hear Komaru call out his name, and with a deep breath he ran away from the door, scrambling to grab onto the rope before whoever was slamming against the door attacked again.

It didn't take very long after for them to throw themselves at the door for the final time—it broke off its hinges by the time Makoto was halfway out the window. Nekomaru stepped inside the room, cracking his knuckles as he looked at the boy. Makoto barely scanned over the mountain of a man, not wanting to waste time—but he couldn't stop from noticing the fresh blood that stained his clothes. Was that there before, or was it from his parents? He didn't know. He didn't want to know. He just began to frantically climb down, hoping he would reach the ground before they came after him.

Makoto supposed he should have expected it, but at the time he couldn't think straight, not in his blind panic. He felt himself get hoisted up back into the room by a few inches, and he couldn't help when his breathing seemed to stop for a moment. This was it, wasn't it? He wasn't going to be able to escape now. They were going to bring him back into the room and—

"Makoto!"

Komaru's cry had just reached his ears when he felt the rope suddenly slacken completely, and he had no time to react as he went plummeting to the ground, and no time to prepare for his landing. The sickening sound that echoed when his left leg connected with the ground was the only thing that came before his loud wail of pain. Tears began to build in his eyes, as he began struggling to catch his breath. He couldn't stand, he couldn't see anything through his teary vision, and he curled into a ball trying to drown out the agony he felt. Through the pain, Makoto was vaguely aware of being hoisted up on someone's back as they began to run away from their home, away from the chaos, adrenaline being the only thing that fueled them by now.

Makoto could feel Sayaka's hair against his skin as he gently rested his head on her shoulder from behind. It hurt—his leg was throbbing, and he was sure it would hurt so much worse if he wasn't still reeling from what had just happened. His tears rolled down his face, and he could hear the sounds of the discord around them start to fade, until the only thing he heard was the ringing in his ears and his own labored breathing.

Every so often Sayaka would adjust her grip on him, trying to make sure she didn't drop him, or jostle his leg too much. Makoto just wrapped his arms around her shoulders, holding on as tight as he could, almost afraid to let go. As he focused more, he started to hear Komaru wheezing beside them, like she was out of breath completely—and he wondered how far they had run by now. He wasn't aware of most of it—he had been so focused on his attempts to ignore the pain that he realized he didn't keep track of how far they had run by now. All he knew was that it was silent now, and he quietly croaked out, asking them to stop.

Komaru fell to her knees, gasping for air, clearly winded from the distance they had gone. Sayaka was almost the same, carefully sitting Makoto down on the ground, close enough to a wall that he could lean against it. She was breathing heavily, her hand pressed against her chest, as if trying to calm her heartbeat. Makoto just watched the two of them for a moment, before he managed to speak. "T-thanks… for carrying…"

Sayaka looked up as he spoke, offering him a worn out smile. "It's… no problem… at all, we weren't… weren't going to just leave you there."

"Do you think they might catch up to us?" Komaru asked, finally able to breathe normally. Sayaka shook her head, "No, I don't think so. There are no riots here, I'm sure they've moved on to some other place…"

"Then what do we do now? We need to go back and check on mom and dad, right?"

Makoto glanced at his sister once the question passed her lips, recalling when Nekomaru had stepped into his room. The blood on his front… was it recent? He wasn't really sure if it had been there when he saw them downstairs, and he hadn't gotten a good look at it in his rush to escape. He didn't want to confess to her what he had seen when he wasn't quite sure of it himself. "… They might still be there, it's not safe."

"B-but what about mom and dad then?"

"They're fine, I'm sure of it… we need to believe in them right now, okay?" Makoto said. He wasn't sure if those words were intended to reassure his sister or himself—he was worried about what he had seen. Were they really okay? He feared for them—for his father, who had screamed for them to go upstairs and try to remain safe, and for his mother, who he hadn't been able to spot at all, who he only heard her shriek when it all began.

Makoto tried to banish those thoughts, refusing to think of the worst case scenario right now. He needed to remain hopeful, especially with what they had just narrowly avoided. "Do you have any idea where we are?" he asked them, looking up at them from where he sat, as both girls moved to stand.

Komaru shook her head, and Sayaka looked around briefly, as if attempting to recognize her surroundings. Makoto waited—watching her as she glanced around, but soon she shook her head too. "It looks familiar, but… I don't know. I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for," he replied, giving her a smile, "I'm sure we can ask someone here who will tell us, right?"

"I suppose so…," she said quietly.

Makoto looked at both of them, trying to smile through the agony he still felt in his leg. "It'll be okay. We have each other, right? We don't need to give up, we'll be fine. I promise you guys, we'll be okay."

Komaru sniffled softly, but nodded, a tearful smile on her face. "Yeah… you're right. We can't just stay down, right? We… we have to have hope… right?"

Sayaka nodded quietly, looking between the two siblings unsurely. Her gaze stayed on Makoto after a moment, and he smiled, trying to show her that he meant what he said. A small smile found its way on her face as well, and Makoto couldn't help but feel confident again. They would be okay—as long as they had each other, they would be fine.

"For now, let's see if we can find out where we are," Makoto said, as he tried to push up on his hands to stand. The two girls shot him a worried look, but he didn't notice as he pressed his hands on the wall behind him to help him up off the ground.

"Are you sure you can do that, Makoto?" Sayaka asked, concern overtaking her features. "Y-your leg might be broken…"

"Well, i-it's worth a try, isn't it?"

He sort of wished he hadn't tried, though. The moment he put pressure on his wounded leg, he stumbled over, crashing into the wall behind him, before falling down to the side. His breath hitched, and he braced himself for the second impact that day—waiting for the pain he knew he would feel. He screwed his eyes shut and bit his lip, taking precaution so he didn't cry out this time.

But this time, he felt no impact with the dirty ground. Instead, he felt his cheek against someone's shoulder, their arms holding him up, as if to prevent them from the harsh landing that they both knew would come. He caught a wisp of pale purple hair that had fluttered in front of his vision before he looked up at the person who caught him.

Kyoko merely looked at Makoto with a blank expression, before raising her brow, her purple eyes scanning over him. "What happened to you?" she finally asked.

Makoto didn't even know where to begin.

* * *

 **It wouldn't be Danganronpa if shit didn't hit the fan almost immediately. I mean, really.**

 **But now we get the plot sort of rolling. Hopefully this was good for you guys.**

 **And to TriMaplenut: I need to let you know that your review had me staring at the screen for like hours just smiling. It really made my day, so thank you. (And to answer a sort of not really question (I think) FC is basically the same as OC. It means "fan character". I just use OC in the case of completely original characters, but people use them the same, really.)**

 **And because I was asked about pairings in this story... we'll just have to wait and see. c':**

 **Anyway, I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. My apologies on it being so late, I'm attempting for updates once a week (on Fridays, probably) but I didn't have much time to post it until now. But regardless, let me know what you think of this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

This wait was so despairingly boring.

Junko heaved out a sigh, tapping her foot against the marble floor of the mansion's parlor. The clicking of her heeled boots echoed in the empty space as she continued with her impatient gesture. She was going to die of old age before her minions returned, wasn't she? She would be standing here waiting and waiting so hopelessly long, without sign or signal from her loyal followers. Wondering if perhaps they had turned on her, or if they had met a bloody death by people revolting—would they have been dismembered, their body parts strewn across the streets like a child leaving their broken toys on the floor as they go wailing like babies to their parents about it? No, common people weren't like that—they would settle for something disdainfully simple— perhaps her precious underlings met a fate such as a bullet between their brows or a perfect sized slice across their throat, just enough to have them writhing on the ground while they were waiting for death, as blood dribbled from the wounds in a lovely hue. Though despite all of those possibilities, she would never know the truth of what became of them as she continued to stay, slowly withering away to a rotten husk of a once gorgeous girl, as she met her fate waiting for these chumps to show their faces again. Wouldn't that be just so pathetic? Wouldn't that be such a pitiful way to end such a gloriously despairing reign? Disgustingly boring, disturbingly normal, detestably anticlimactic.

Junko couldn't help her delighted smile at the thought—what an unworthy end. That would truly be such a despairing way for her to die, wouldn't it? It was a beautiful thought. If only it wasn't so repulsively hopeful. Dying of old age before any self-proclaimed hero could try to stop her? No final battle? No stringing them on so close to hope they could taste the disgusting flavor, only to crush them and leave the world to sink deeper than ever before? Instead they would just watch her end with her own despairingly dull death, finally able to rebuild their lives into such grossly cheery and hopeful messes. No, that wouldn't do at all. She had ended that hopeful world for a reason. No, she needed them to despair for her. She needed that kind of ecstasy before she met her end. She had already decided that, there was no more debating this subject.

Great, now she was bored again.

"Where the actual _fuck_ are those three?"

"Perhaps they're merely running late, sister."

Junko straightened up her posture a bit, not having expected anyone to be there to reply to her. She turned to Mukuro with an adorable smile, clasping her hands together. "Ah, Little Wolf, what a lovely surprise to see you here!" she said with a giggle.

"Was it really? I'm always here. You and I are the only ones who stay in this mansion, after all."

"I know that, silly," Junko said, a cute pout soon overtaking her features. "I just figured you'd be outside the town with your talents to launch bullets into people's brains, y'know? I mean, what's the point of controlling the element of metal if you can't make a gun out of just your hand and shape bullets with your mind?"

"I know… ," Mukuro said, her gaze cast towards the ground almost guiltily. "I merely decided to wait before trying again. After a while, everybody runs off and hides. There were no targets."

"Oh, oh, I see," Junko said, her expression now bored, "so you've got nothing to do now too, huh? That's good. I've been needing some entertainment while waiting for those chumps."

"Of course. What would you like me to—,"

"Ugh, can't you think for _yourself_ for once, you vulgar wretch?" she snapped suddenly, her eyes narrowing almost viciously. "Do I always have to decide for you? Do I really need to be your brains, Little Wolf?"

"No, of course not, sister…"

"Good answer," she hissed. "Now think of something on your _own_ this time, Mukuro."

Mukuro stayed silent, unsure of what to say. She really didn't want to anger her sister—she hated seeing Junko acting spiteful, especially when it was her own fault for it. The last thing she wanted was to let her sister down, as she always seemed to do. But still, whereas Mukuro herself seemed predictable enough for her sister to hate her—Junko was so flippant and constantly changing and _unpredictable_. How could she know what her sister wanted from her?

"I'm _waiting_ for your answer, Mukuro."

The mercenary opened her mouth to speak, but quickly snapped it shut, not wanting to risk saying something to anger her beloved little sister. She just needed to think—to think up a good plan to complete this mission with any battles. She could do this—this was what she was trained to do.

"Are you giving me the silent treatment now, Little Wolf? Are you gonna act like I'm not here, asking you to answer my fuckin' requests? Do you _really_ want to play that card, Mukuro?"

The older twin paled for a moment, but when Junko burst out cackling, she took that moment to compose herself, hoping Junko didn't notice her panic. "Are you ignoring me on purpose, Mukuro? No, of course not. You're just too scared to answer, as always. As expected of you, dear sister. Fine, I see. You can keep your trap shut then, if you so please. Would that work for you?"

Mukuro merely nodded, not making a sound. Despite how Junko worded things, she knew this was a demand rather than a suggestion.

"Anyway, why're you here, big sis?"

No reply came.

"… Fine, I take it back. You have permission to speak, bitch."

"Just decided I'd check up on how you are," Mukuro replied, her expression not giving away anything towards the honesty of her reason. Junko just smiled gleefully, walking up to the older twin. "Oh really?" she inquired, "how kind of you!"

Mukuro opened her mouth to speak, although Junko beat her to it as she continued her comment.

"Of course you did. How predictable of you, Mukuro," she said, as her smile fell within seconds. "It's so despairingly predictable of you to want to _check up_ on how I am. How you wanted to see if things were going well. So predictable. So boring. How sickeningly expected."

Mukuro could have dodged if she had wanted to. She could have grabbed Junko's wrist and had her on the ground in any of the various holds Mukuro knew. But instead, she didn't think to react as Junko raised a hand, and in another second brought it down harshly to Mukuro's cheek. The slap echoed in the empty room of the mansion, and Mukuro stumbled back in shock. She had such good instincts, but she would never see an attack from her sister coming. She would never expect Junko to harm her in any way—because she couldn't expect anything Junko planned to do.

"You're so disgustingly predictable, Mukuro. It's despairing how I always know what you plan to do or say. I just hate it when things go _exactly_ as expected. You're so boring, Mukuro. So disgustingly boring—I'm sick of your existence sometimes, y'know? I'm sick of how despairingly predictable you are."

Horror flashed across the soldier's face—was Junko truly bored of her? After all Mukuro had done to help her sister's wishes come true, after everything she had done to get her sister to love her again? Was it really all over because Mukuro was predictable…?

Junko just laughed again—but this time, it wasn't harsh. It was giddy and light-hearted, almost pleasant to listen to. "Oh, the look on your face, Mukuro! You look like a puppy that just watched your mom get run over by a car speeding down the road. Does my hatred for you really scare you that much? I almost feel bad."

"Junko…"

"You should know the truth, though. You're my sister after all, and I wouldn't deal with your disgusting predictableness if I didn't love you," Junko said, her expression a rare look of seriousness. It almost warmed Mukuro's heart in a way—it reminded her of better days between the two of them. "So wipe that look off your face—fear doesn't suit you."

"… If you'll excuse me, I think I'll head outside once again."

Junko said nothing, just once again picked up the impatient tapping of her foot, waiting for her followers to arrive. Mukuro bowed at the waist, then hurried out of the mansion, looking around the town. Junko had claimed this town for the Ultimate Despair a short while before the Tragedy began. Mukuro remembered the massacre, how the group had gone around slaughtering the families in their homes, and watching them slaughter each other in an attempt to get away safely. The houses in the town had been split up among her sixteen most loyal followers, and Junko insisted that Mukuro share the mansion with her. To keep her loved ones close, she had said.

Loved ones…

It seemed so unlikely that Junko really meant that. But Mukuro so desperately wanted to believe that she had earned her sister's love after all this time. The soldier touched her cheek, the sting of Junko's slap still burning her flesh. Mukuro knew every moment of her sister's hatred would send herself into despair. And oh how her sister loved despair.

Yes, this must be it. This was just Junko's odd way of loving people. Loving despair—what could cause her more despair than seeing those she cared for in despair as well? This was just how Junko showed affection. It must have been the answer.

It had to be the answer.

* * *

Of all the things Kyoko had expected to happen on her walk, this wasn't one of them.

She prepared for every worst-case scenario she could think of—riots, a swarm of Monokuma units, a personal visit from some of the members of Ultimate Despair. And she was ready for all of them. As she walked through the streets of the city, she kept a careful eye out for any suspicious activity. She was always aware, always careful—even in her sleep, she would be looking out for potential dangers in the area around her, as far as the boundaries allowed.

But what she didn't expect was to see three kids, no older than she was, running frantically into the city, and collapse on the ground as if they had been running for miles. How peculiar it was—she decided it would be best to see what the cause was.

Silently, she approached them, making sure to remain unnoticed. She was finally in earshot to hear them wonder where they were—didn't the children know where they had been running to? Or perhaps they were running from something without a destination in mind, but for what? To flee a scene, maybe? She wasn't sure at the moment, she needed to learn more. As the boy tried to stand, she watched him wobble and struggle, refusing to set his left leg down, Kyoko knew what was to come. She took large strides to close the rest of the gap between them, catching the boy before he fell to the ground.

Slowly, the boy became aware of being in someone's arms, as he looked in her direction for a moment.

"What happened to you?" she asked after a moment, finally deciding that it was worth it to ask.

"I'm… honestly not sure where to start."

Makoto looked up at Kyoko with a sheepish expression—he was leaning against her front as she held him in a standing position in her arms, trying to keep the injured boy up off the ground. Kyoko just glanced back with an emotionless mask, clicking her tongue briefly. "Start with what happened to your leg."

"Eh?" Makoto murmured. "How did you…?"

"Judging by the fact that you started to fall when you attempted to stand on your own," she explained, "and the fact that you seemed to be refusing to put pressure on it in your attempt—as well as right now, too—it wasn't so hard to guess."

"Oh, that… that makes sense, I guess," the boy mumbled.

"Yes, it does, does it not?" Kyoko mused, her voice calm. "Now, as I had said, you can start your explanation there. What happened to injure your leg?"

Makoto glanced back at Sayaka and Komaru, as if silently reassuring himself that the events truly had transpired to get them here. He bit his lip, then turned back to Kyoko, thinking over the best way to explain their situation.

"I was climbing down a rope made out of sheets out from my bedroom window, and it detached, so I fell and landed wrong."

Well, that sounded much sillier than it really was.

"… And _why_ would you have done that?"

Makoto winced—her tone seemed a bit reprimanding, as if she didn't understand why he had been climbing that makeshift rope, why it had been so dire for them to do it at all. Though, he hadn't explained it, so he didn't exactly blame her for her reaction. Still, the look she gave him made him squirm a bit, like a child being scolded by their parent.

Komaru puffed out her cheeks, glaring slightly at Kyoko. "Hey! Give him a break, we were trying to get away from some attackers!"

Kyoko feel silent for a moment, tilting her head down so her bangs shaded her eyes from view. But from the angle Makoto was leaning against her, he could see the look reflected in her purple eyes, as if she started to realize the situation herself.

"Attackers? Of what kind?"

"I don't really know," Komaru confessed. "I didn't see them…" Kyoko opened her mouth, as if to make a remark to the girl's lack of information, but Makoto interjected with an explanation before she could.

"… I think they were Ultimate Despair," Makoto said, "I mean, I haven't seen them any time before this, but… they definitely acted like they were."

"I see," Kyoko said quietly, finally looking up once more. She shifted Makoto, setting him back down to sit on the ground for a moment, as she looked at him with a piercing gaze. "You mean you had a run-in with Ultimate Despair?"

"Yeah," Makoto confirmed. "We tried to escape out the window, which is when they detached the rope while I was climbing down. That's how I hurt my leg. Sayaka had to carry me while we ran here… wherever _here_ is."

The lavender haired girl remained silent for a while, from the look on her face, she seemed to be contemplating something. When she finally spoke, she kneeled down to Makoto's level on the ground, moving as if to grab him again.

"I'd like to ask you more about your encounter, but out here isn't safe. We recently had riots as well, and I would assume they moved on to your town, if you were nearby, that is. I'll take you back to our base—we can talk there."

"Can we really trust you?" Sayaka asked. "Not to sound rude, but… we know nothing about you, or if you're—,"

"A threat?" Kyoko asked, lowering her arms before she got to Makoto. "I suppose you don't have any reason to trust me. But if your reason to distrust me is because you know nothing about me, your prior conversation proved you know nothing about anyone in this town, correct?"

"Eh? Were you eavesdropping?" Komaru asked, eyes widening a bit.

"I saw you rush into this town in a mad panic. I was curious as to why. Is there a problem with that?"

"You shouldn't have listened in on someone else's conversation," the younger girl retorted, crossing her arms. Kyoko merely let out an amused hum, "Perhaps. But that doesn't change anything now, does it?" She fell silent once more, then turned to Makoto.

"If you will allow me to escort you back, we can heal your leg as well. With your injury, you and your friends are in danger, should you be unable to escape again. It would be wise to get it taken care of, no?"

Makoto bit his lip, glancing between the other two girls, and Kyoko. Finally, after a while of debating, he spoke quietly. "I'd like that. Thank you. I'll tell you what I know when we get there."

"Makoto, are you sure?"

The boy nodded in Sayaka's direction. "It's fine. I trust her."

Kyoko couldn't help but feel like the boy was too reckless—he had just met her, yet he claimed that he trusted her, even as a stranger. Was he really this foolish? Or, perhaps, he was willing to take a chance on the possibility of a positive outcome? If so…

"Our base isn't far, it won't take long to arrive."

"I'm not sure if I can carry Makoto much farther, though," Sayaka sighed, "not to sound rude, but he's much heavier than I can handle." She gave Makoto an apologetic glance, not intending for her statement to sound hurtful. Makoto just smiled at her though, reassuring her that he wasn't offended by her explanation.

"It's fine. I'll carry him."

Kyoko scooped the boy up into her arms, then shifted him to a more secure position—and as Makoto noticed, a more comfortable one with his leg.

"Let's go. My team might be worried that I was gone so long."

She had just started walking away, backtracking from where she had come from, when Komaru mused out, "Wait… team?"

* * *

"You're late."

Celeste hadn't looked up from her card game with Hotaru to see that Kyoko had entered, but she knew once the door opened there was only one person it could be.

"I know. I ran into someone."

"A threat?" Byakuya inquired, briefly glancing up from his book to watch the lavender haired girl as she entered—just in time to spot Makoto in her arms as she sat him down in a chair. He raised his brow at the sight, and as he looked at the other two girls, the heir turned to Kyoko for an explanation.

"You'll see," Kyoko replied curtly, before she walked across the room, grabbing a roll of bandages from the cupboard. Aoi had looked up by this point, tilting her head slightly at the sight of the newcomers. "Who're they?"

Kyoko didn't reply, instead she merely made her way back over to Makoto, carefully rolling up his pant leg to see the severity of the injury. Makoto looked at the swimmer sheepishly, then replied to her question with a slight smile. "My name is Makoto Naegi… that's my younger sister Komaru," he said, pointing over his shoulder at her, "and my friend, Sayaka Maizono."

"That's a lot of names to remember," Aoi mumbled, starting to trace the letters on her palm. "What'd you say your sister's name was again?"

"Um… Komaru," the younger sibling said, raising a brow.

"And, uh… how do you spell that?"

Komaru sighed, "Exactly how it sounds?"

"Right, got it!"

Makoto let out a quiet chuckle, while Komaru just looked around the room. "So…," she mused, "this is your team?"

"Yes," Kyoko replied simply, beginning to wrap Makoto's leg with the bandages. Sayaka spoke up next, tilting her head in slight confusion. "What kind of team?"

"A resistance against despair, of sorts, anyway," Byakuya responded, "we're fighting to restore the world to how it was before Junko sent it into ruins."

"Eh? Really?" Sayaka murmured, blinking in surprise. Leon just let out a quiet huff, turning to her with an almost sour expression. "Well, trying to, anyway," he spat, "it's not goin' very well at all."

"What do you mean by that?" Komaru asked.

"Well," Aiko began, "the world is even worse than it was when we first started our rebellion, nothing has changed for the better, we've lost a few members in horrible ways—," she paused, a guilty look on her face when Haku cringed, his expression one of agony. "… We don't know about her for sure yet, Haku," she sympathized, but then turned back to the younger girl with the same dismayed gaze, "but anyway, that's the gist of it. We've tried, but we keep on failing. Some _resistance_ we are."

Makoto frowned at the explanation she gave, knowing full well how they must have given up by now. But that wasn't right—they needed to keep going, didn't they? If they gave up, they were letting her win. Resisting worked in so many different ways—as long as they refused to give up hope, they could still win. Despair was infectious, but hope was too, wasn't it? If they just remained hopeful…

He opened his mouth to protest, but Kyoko's sharp reply cut him off. "Enough. We're not having this talk right now." She finished binding Makoto's leg, though she stared at it for a few moments more. She sighed, then turned to the girl jotting down spells in her notebook, clearing her throat to get her attention. "Touko?"

The author let out a squeak, before glaring up at Kyoko. "W-what do y-y-you want…?"

"Could I ask you to perform a healing spell for him?" she asked, earning a nervous grumble from the other girl. "W-why…? D-d-didn't y-you just patch up h-his leg y-yourself?" With a small, irritated sigh, Kyoko began to explain her request—something she seemed tired of having to do. "Yes, but the injury is bad. It might snap in two soon, so a healing spell would be preferable for his recovery."

"Wait, you mean it isn't already broken?" Makoto asked.

"No," Kyoko said. "You're quite lucky it wasn't."

Makoto cringed, remembering the circumstances. "Not all that lucky…"

"F-fine," Touko said, marking the page she left off writing on and standing up from her seat. "W-whatever… l-l-let's just g-get this over with…"

As she approached Makoto, he couldn't help but feel like his presence was making the girl uncomfortable—it made him feel bad. He didn't want to trouble her, especially not if he wasn't even trying to. Touko let her hands hover above Makoto's left leg for a moment, before taking a deep breath. She began to mumble, a smooth and steady chant of sorts, as she twisted and roamed her hands a mere inch above his leg. He watched, mesmerized, as a nurturing pink glow emanated from her palms, almost enveloping his leg in a soothing light. Makoto had never seen a spell in action before, so he couldn't help his intrigued expression. His leg felt cold at first, then warm, before he soon couldn't feel it at all. Touko finished her chant with an exhale, the glow dimming until it was like it wasn't there at all. "I-I put a t-temporary numbing s-spell on it t-too, j-just in case… y-you're welcome, I g-guess…"

"Thank you so much," Makoto responded, a kind smile on his face. His eyes twinkled with excitement, as he added on, "I've never seen a spell being used before, so that was really cool."

"Huh?" Touko asked, her eyes widening, then narrowing in suspicion. "Y-you r-really expect me t-to believe y-you've never seen s-such common magic before?"

"No, I really haven't," Makoto replied, his smile never faltering. "So I'm really impressed. You're really talented at it."

"L-like I said! It's c-common magic, t-there's n-no such things as b-being talented with s-spells… anyone c-can learn it, anyway. E-even if they aren't b-born with magic…"

"Still," Makoto insisted, "it just seemed to come so naturally to you…"

"W-well… I-I'm pretty fluent in t-the language… so I guess i-it does come naturally…"

"That's why you're talented at it, then," Makoto said simply, his smile expressing his sincerity. "Even if it's a common type of knowledge, you still have it mastered. That's really cool, I couldn't even dream of doing that…"

Touko let out a quiet hiss, turning on her heel and walking back to her seat—but Makoto could have sworn he heard her mumble a _thank you_ as she walked off.

Kyoko watched Touko sit down, burying her nose in her book, as if to hide her face from Makoto. But still, the lavender haired girl could see the small, happy smile on Touko's face, as if she felt happier from the comment. In such a simple way, Makoto had seemed to lift her spirits—something Kyoko hadn't managed to do with any of them in a while. The boy was foolishly trusting, yet quite endlessly optimistic. Very kind and reassuring—his demeanor was so openly sincere and hopeful. Perhaps that was why Kyoko so easily accepted letting him into the base—the base she had strived to keep secret from outsiders, just in case of they might have truly been working for the enemy. Yet this boy and his hopeful nature so easily convinced Kyoko that he wasn't a threat at all. He even achieved a moment of joy from _Touko_ of all people. How interesting that was. Kyoko couldn't help her brief smile at the thought, as she hid it behind her gloved hand for a moment, until she regained her composure. How truly interesting.

Yes, how useful, too.

* * *

 **Yay. I actually managed to stay on schedule on post on Friday. Yesssss. Victory.**

 **Anyway, I want to give a big thanks to TriMaplenut, ReadingWithWyvern, and KudaKo for the lovely reviews. You guys are awesome, thanks for the feedback, I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. X3**

 **Also, I won't be mean and tease anyone by dancing around revealing pairings (if any). I will admit this story is gonna have Naegiri in it. Yay. I apologize to anyone who doesn't like the ship, however it won't be the main point of the story, so hopefully that doesn't turn anyone away.**

 **Anyway, plot is slowly moving forward. We're getting places with this, which is good. C':**

 **So, I won't talk much and take up a lot of space in my A/N. Really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and feel free to leave a review if you'd like to, I'd love to know what you think! Thanks for reading, guys!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Y'know," Makoto started, looking over at the lavender haired detective as she scribbled down an update into her notebook. "You never told me your name yet."

"I haven't?" Kyoko mused, glancing at him for a moment out of the corner of her eye.

"No, you haven't…," he repeated, tilting his head in a curious gesture. Kyoko didn't notice, still busy writing down the recent events in what Makoto assumed was a logbook. "Very well, then. I suppose I owe you that courtesy after all. My name is Kyoko Kirigiri."

"Kyoko… I like that name, it's nice," Makoto said with a smile. Kyoko looked over this time, her brow raised. After a few seconds, she turned back to her notebook, not making another comment. Makoto bit his lip, wondering if he had perhaps said something wrong. "Are you okay?" he asked her. Kyoko merely let out a quiet hum, nodding her head once, still absorbed in her work. The boy stared for a few moments more, before deciding it was best not to bother her while she was busy.

He stood up from his seat, wobbling slightly as he tried to walk despite the numbness in his leg. It had helped soothe the pain while he had waited for the spell to take it's full effect—Touko had explained to him that she liked slower healing spells so the pain of rapid recovery didn't do more harm than good to the subject—but even as it began to subside, he still found it hard to balance as he walked. Taking a couple shaky steps, Makoto attempted to make his way over to a new group of people—however it felt like his leg just wouldn't cooperate. He quickly decided, however, that this was a bad idea, as his hand frantically reached out the grasp the table edge, to prevent himself from collapsing. He took a few deep breaths, contemplating just sitting down and waiting it out, when he heard someone call his name.

"Hey… Makoto, was it? You really shouldn't be walking so soon," Hotaru said, glancing up at him, briefly distracted from her card game with Celeste. "If your leg is still numb, the healing spell isn't complete yet. You'd likely just hurt yourself even more by walking around."

"Right… sorry, I'm still new to this magic stuff, I don't really know how it works," Makoto admitted. Celeste just hummed softly, then looked at him as well. "Well, you'll learn as you go, won't you?"

"I guess so," the boy nodded, as Hotaru pulled out a chair for him, before promptly turning back to her game. "Thanks," he said, sitting down, and he couldn't deny feeling much better after taking the pressure off his left leg. Hotaru said nothing in response, just giving him a brief nod—and Makoto couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he was just bothering everyone.

"It's your turn," Celeste said to Hotaru, breaking the silence for a moment. "Remember, five cards, two from your hole cards, and three from your common cards."

"Right, um…," Hotaru mused, a nervous giggle escaping her lips. "Well… which is which, again?"

Celeste sighed, gently tapping her finger down on the table. "Hole cards, common cards. Now just play your turn." Makoto watched as Hotaru sighed, looking at the cards she chose, and placing a rather weak hand of cards onto the table. "I don't get this game at all," the blue haired girl admitted.

"It's fine. I suppose you'll get better with practice," Celeste said, idly toying with a piece of her hair as she placed her cards on the table—and while Makoto didn't understand this game much either, he knew that her hand was just about the best you could get in any poker game.

As Celeste began to straighten the cards back into a neat pile, Makoto spoke up, hoping to start a conversation. "Um… so, do you mind if I ask for your names? I don't know anyone here besides Touko and Kyoko…"

Both girls looked at him as he spoke, and Hotaru was the first to respond. "Hotaru Miyoshi," she said simply, "nice to meet you."

"You too," Makoto replied, turning to Celeste. The gambler smiled sweetly—but Makoto just felt that the smile was almost unnerving. "My name is Celestia Ludenberg, but most just call me Celeste. It's a pleasure to meet you, Makoto."

Makoto smiled in response. "Same to you," he said, reaching out a hand for a handshake. Celeste returned the gesture after a moment of hesitation, and Makoto felt that her grip was rather light, almost fragile in a way.

"So, I take it you two are friends?" Makoto asked as he pulled his hand back, placing it in his lap. Hotaru's face fell for a moment, and she tilted her head down, her bangs obscuring her eyes for a moment. Celeste merely smiled again, resting her chin on the backs of her interlocked hands. "I suppose you could say that… her company isn't as bad as the others, so I don't mind her as much."

Makoto noticed how Hotaru bit her lip, like she wanted to say something, but just as quickly as she had done it, she looked up with an unsure smile. "Yeah, Celeste is just about the only person here I get along with… I wouldn't say we're friends, though."

Despite how Hotaru's response seemed like a feeble lie, Makoto decided it wasn't any of his business to pry, and just left it at that. As he opened his mouth to speak again, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye from Hotaru's lap, and looked down. A small, hand-sewn doll lay in her lap, tugging on the sleeve of Hotaru's dress, as it swung its little cloth legs almost cheerfully. Makoto just stared at the living doll, wondering if perhaps he had hit his head too hard on the landing as well as his leg.

"Don't give her that face," Hotaru scolded, scooping up Molly into the palm of her hand. "She's enchanted, it isn't all that uncommon…"

"Enchanted?" Makoto mused, looking up at the brown-eyed girl. "Yeah," Hotaru replied, glancing away, as if nervous about the subject. "I'm an Enchantress, so it only makes sense that I've enchanted my projects."

"Projects? So, you made it?"

"Her," Hotaru corrected, placing her free hand in front of Molly to keep the doll from falling, as if she was shielding it. Celeste sighed, then explained it instead of Hotaru, who seemed completely reluctant to discuss it. "Hotaru's a seamstress, so with every doll she sews, she can enchant them to life."

"Really? That's so cool," Makoto said, his eyes sparkling with excitement—despite having heard of them before, he had never actually met an Enchantress before now. The thought of encountering someone like that seemed unreal—he couldn't help his excitement.

"I guess so…," Hotaru sighed, gently combing her fingers through the doll's yarn hair. Makoto smiled softly, looking at the doll, who seemed to lean into Hotaru's hand. "… You really like her, huh?" Hotaru just nodded. "Sorry if it seems strange about how I attach to Molly… but I was six when I made her, and she was the first. I guess she really means a lot to me by now…"

"It's understandable," Makoto said quickly, not wanting to risk offending her—she seemed so protective over the doll, Makoto had to wonder if she would ever even trust someone else _hold_ Molly. Hotaru nodded, then set Molly back down in her lap, looking at Makoto. "How's your leg?"

He had to think about it for a moment, because ever since it had become numb, he had almost stopped thinking about it. But the feeling was coming back to him, and he was happy to admit that the pain wasn't returning. "Better. I can feel my leg again, which is good, right…?"

"Yes," Celeste replied, "I would say that means the healing spell is almost complete. You're free to walk around again if you wish."

Makoto wanted to say that he didn't mind staying with them, but something in Celeste's tone sounded commanding, as if she was sending him away. So instead, he merely nodded, and stood up, pushing his chair in as he did. As he walked away, he heard Celeste murmur something he couldn't quite make out, but when he turned to look, she had merely mumbled a spell that had the deck of cards shuffling themselves.

So she could use spells—Makoto smiled, it was still so amazing to him.

He paced around a bit, trying to get used to walking around again after being practically immobile for a while, and looked around the place. It was quite a small room—Makoto had noticed when they approached from outside that the building had multiple stories. He could only guess from outside that there were three of four levels, and he wondered what some of the upper floors were. Other than that, a few tables and chairs were spread out, and there was a single shelf with books on it—though very few Makoto recognized the titles of.

He walked up to the bookshelf, gently running his fingers along the spines, his eyes ghosting over the titles. It had been so long since he had seen so many books in one place—and in good enough condition to read, too. A smile crept onto Makoto's lips—it felt… surreal. And he never would have thought that to be a possible feeling for _books_ of all things.

"If you're wondering, Makoto, that's one of Touko's best novels!"

Makoto blinked, looking over at the table where most of the rebellion members sat, as Yasuhiro just gave him a small smile. "I haven't read it, I'm not one for romance novels, really," he admitted, "but I heard it's good!"

"O-of c-c-course you're n-not one for r-romance novels, i-i-it probably r-reminds you o-of what you'll n-n-never a-achieve in life!"

"... Ouch."

"Touko!" Aoi squeaked, her tone somewhat scolding.

Makoto let out a sheepish chuckle, finally realizing his fingers had stopped on one of the books. _So Lingers the Ocean_ —he had heard of it before, hadn't this been the novel that helped out fishermen with romance? He wasn't really sure, he hadn't exactly read it either.

"W-what!? I-i-it's o-obviously t-true!"

"Even so, that doesn't give you a right to be so mean about it!"

"What? H-Hina! You too?" Yasuhiro asked, his eyes widening in disbelief. She offered him a guilty smile, to which Yasuhiro just slumped forward onto the table in defeat. Makoto let out a quiet sigh, deciding to step in before any potential fight happened.

"Hey… I don't think I've learned your names yet, guys… mind Touko, that is."

"W-well _sorry_ y-you h-h-had to learn t-the name of t-trash l-l-like me, f-first!"

"What? No! I didn't mean it like that," Makoto said desperately. "I just wanted to learn everybody here, that's all. I already got the honor of meeting you when you helped me… thanks again, by the way."

Touko just squeaked, her eyes widening. "H-honor!?"

Makoto merely smiled in response, nodding his head. With an embarrassed huff, Touko went back to writing in her spell book, not sparing him another glance—but Makoto could see the small tint of pink on her cheeks, and he assumed his compliment had actually been received well.

"Well… I guess I'll start, then?" Yasuhiro asked. "The name's Yasuhiro Hagakure! Good to meet you, dude! If you ever need potions or a psychic reading, I'm your man!"

The brunette boy smiled unsurely, offering a brief wave to the older male. He wasn't sure if Yasuhiro was merely excited, or just always this eccentric. "Good to meet you, too…"

The swimmer spoke up next, extending a hand, seeming almost cheerful. "It's nice to meet you, Makoto! My name's Aoi Asahina, but my friends call me Hina sometimes. You can too, if you want, 'cause I'm sure we'll be good friends," she said happily. Makoto shook her hand with a small laugh, "Nice to meet you too, Hina."

She pulled her hand back with a smile, continuing her introduction. "I'm one of the elementals here, with control over water, so… yeah. I think that's about it for my introduction, right?"

She nodded, as if confirming it for herself, before glancing over at Byakuya. "Do you want to introduce yourself next?"

"No. I have absolutely no reason or want to associate with such a boring individual."

Makoto winced—how harsh could this person be? Makoto was pretty sure he hadn't done anything to get on anyone's bad side yet, so perhaps the blonde boy was always like this? He wasn't sure, really.

"Oh come on, Byakuya! Don't be that way!"

Byakuya made no comment, merely flipped the page of his book, and with a huff Aoi decided to do the introduction herself. "That's Byakuya Togami—he's the heir to the Togami Corporation. He's a bit… well, antisocial."

"A bit of an _asshole_ , if you don't mind me saying," Haku stated coldly, to which Byakuya sent him an icy glare, but said nothing. Makoto cut in a moment after, not wanting anyone to start arguing. "And you are?"

"Haku Enoki," the ginger haired boy said, toying with a tarnished coin in his hand. Makoto watched, curious, as Haku clenched his fist, then opened it, the coin having disappeared. Noticing that Makoto was watching, he reached behind the boy's ear, pulling the coin back out.

"It's not real magic," he clarified, "I don't have any powers like that. I'm just a magician."

"I see," Makoto mused with a smile, "Even if it isn't real magic, it's still so cool… it must take a lot of practice to learn those tricks and pull them off, right? Maybe even more practice than real magic to make it convincing…"

A tired chuckle escaped Haku's lips. "Y'know, for a moment, you sounded like her…"

Makoto tilted his head. "… Her?"

"Tomoyo," he said, but then shook his head. "She's my girlfriend… but I haven't seen her in a while."

By the pained look in Haku's eyes, Makoto assumed that Tomoyo was a sensitive subject for him—so despite his curiosity, he decided to change the subject. "Well… it's nice to meet all of you guys."

"Same to you," Yasuhiro said with a grin, folding his arms as he spoke.

Makoto glanced around for a moment, then asked, "How long have you guys been a part of this rebellion?"

"Well, a few of us started in the very beginning, right around when the Tragedy was starting to get really bad," Aoi explained, "and then some more people joined in as time went by. I think out most recent members are Mitsuki and Aiko, they joined about a year ago…"

"Which ones are they?"

Haku cleared his throat for a moment, then called out to the girls at the table behind him. "Oi! Mitsuki! The new kid wants to meet you and Aiko!"

The burgundy haired girl looked over, then waved at Makoto with a gentle smile. Aiko on the other hand just rolled her eyes, "If he wants to meet us, he can come over here…"

Makoto couldn't help but smile sheepishly, as he stood up from the table. "I'll… be right back."

He walked over to the other table, as Mitsuki murmured something—what Makoto could only assume was a spell—and the chair on the other side of the table moved out for him to sit on.

"Thanks," he said, taking a seat next to the small programmer. "So… you two are the newest members here?"

"Well, yeah," Mitsuki admitted. "Aiko and I are the rookies, as they call us."

Makoto nodded, then glanced over to the small girl by his side. "And you are?"

"U-um…! I-I'm Chihiro Fujisaki… n-nice to meet you…," she squeaked, looking almost terrified. Makoto just offered her a warm smile, hoping it would calm her down.

"While we're on introductions, I guess I'll say it. My name's Aiko Shiga," the blonde girl greeted, "and this over here is Mitsuki Hino."

"I see… it's nice to meet you three," Makoto said.

"Likewise," Mitsuki replied, fiddling with her camcorder as she spoke. Makoto mused over the names for a moment, then nodded, as if confirming them. "I'll try my best to remember everyone's names. But there are a lot of people here, so… forgive me if I don't get it right at first?"

"No one will fault you," Mitsuki said, a kind smile on her face. "It's understandable." Makoto nodded, murmuring a quiet _thanks_ to the girl. Aiko looked to him, her brow raised slightly. "So… pardon my curiosity, but do you have any magic skills?"

"What? No, I don't really…," Makoto admitted, a bit taken back by the sudden question. "Neither does my sister. Our family is completely average, I guess…"

"Ah, I see," Aiko nodded, before she offered him an unsure smile. "I know how you feel. I don't have any magic, either. That's up to my girlfriend to use magic, instead," she said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder at Mitsuki.

Mitsuki just chuckled lightly, "I can read spells, Aiko. Anyone can do that—born with magic or not."

"I couldn't learn it if I tried, Mitsuki," Aiko said with a shrug, "And believe me, I have. It's like a completely different language…"

"T-that's because it _is_ a completely different language," Chihiro added. "It'd be like trying to become bilingual—s-some can do it, some can't…"

"Is it really?" Makoto asked. The three turned to him, confused expressions on their faces. "Yeah," Aiko confirmed, "haven't you learned about spells before?"

"Well… no. I mean, I know that spells aren't like being an Elemental or an Enchanter, so anyone can do it, but… I'm not familiar with magic. Like I said to Touko before, I've heard of it all, but I haven't seen a lot of it, if any. I don't know everything there is to know about this stuff."

"I see," Mitsuki mused, "that's strange… though, if you really don't have any magical skills, that would explain it, I suppose." Makoto just nodded quietly, waiting to speak as she continued. "Well, if you want to learn about spells, I'd recommend talking to Touko about it," Mitsuki suggested, "I mean, I can read the spells and all, but I can't really create them off the top of my head. That's Touko's specialty, because she's fluent in the language. I've asked her to tutor me, but… she really closes up around others, even after all this time with us."

"Really? She didn't seem so bad earlier… well, to others she did, but…"

"Maybe you're just that likable that you're an exception?" Aiko tried, a small grin tugging at her lips. Makoto rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish smile on his face. "I wouldn't say that… maybe she's just slowly learning to open up?"

"M-maybe…," Chihiro murmured.

"So… what about you?" Makoto asked, looking at Chihiro with an interested expression. The programmer squeaked, almost startled, as tears began to build in her eyes. Makoto quickly waved his hands in front of him, trying to calm her. "No, I-I didn't mean to upset you! I was just wondering if you had any magic…"

"O-oh…. I-I see," Chihiro sniffled, drying the moisture that had built up in her eyes. "I'm an Enchanter."

"Really?" Makoto asked, his expression turning into one of curiosity. "What are some of the things you've enchanted?"

"Um… I-I've made people."

Makoto just blinked, staring at her. "… Um, come again?"

"I-I'm sorry, I just…! I mean… I-I've made artificial intelligence, a-and… they've been enchanted into real people. I-I'm sorry…"

"No, that's fine," Makoto said with a smile on his face. "I'm just new to the possibilities of magic, y'know? I didn't know you could enchant a program into living things…"

"That's the thing about enchantments," Mitsuki pointed out, trying to give Makoto a proper explanation. "It's to enchant something to life. Everyone had different degrees and capabilities of how the enchanting works. For some, it's giving inanimate objects sentience so they can move and think for themselves. For Chihiro, it's giving intangible things a physical existence in the world."

"I see… that's amazing," Makoto said, his eyes twinkling in wonder, "how long did it take you to learn how to do that?"

"I-I had to learn how to make programs first… so, m-maybe a few years after that? The h-hardest part of being a born magic user is t-trying to figure out how you can use your powers…"

"That make sense," the boy said with a nod. "But still… what you can do is really cool."

"… T-thanks," Chihiro said, offering him a timid smile. Makoto smiled back, however he couldn't help from jolting in shock when Mitsuki suddenly called out behind him. "Hey! Leon, knock it off with that, you're going to fall and hurt yourself!"

"I haven't yet, why are you so worried?" Leon called back, folding his arms behind his head as he floated. Makoto blinked, almost amazed by what the redhead was doing. He was floating on the air, hovering far above the floor, just laying down and relaxing—Makoto tried to comprehend how he was accomplishing that.

"Leon, I will not tell you again," Mitsuki said, her tone turning quite stern. "Get down from there this instant." Leon groaned, then floated back down into his seat, mumbling something about _being too controlling_. The brunette looked back at Mitsuki, who offered a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I just try to take care of everyone… sometimes a bit too much, but I'm just worried."

"She likes to mother everyone," Aiko simplified, earning an indignant squeak from Mitsuki. "I do not _mother_ people, I just… care."

"Yeah, care like a mother," Aiko said with a giggle, but she cut Mitsuki off from any reply by cupping her chin and kissing her. The other girl wasted no time returning the gesture, and Makoto turned away, not wanting to ruin their moment by staring at them. He found himself looking back at Leon, who was rocking on the back legs of the chair now, looking bored. Makoto excused himself, and walked over to the redheaded boy, his expression intrigued.

"How did you do that earlier?" Makoto asked.

"Do what?"

"That… floating thing you did," he clarified.

"Oh, that?" Leon asked with a grin. "I'm an air elemental, it ain't that hard to float. Just gotta manipulate the air to hold my weight or somethin', and there. It happens."

"That's amazing," the brunette mused, although he had to admit the explanation wasn't as clear as he had hoped. Still, as elemental powers were something you had to be born with, Makoto couldn't help but wonder if perhaps some elementals weren't aware of how they did what they did, either.

"I used to use the skills for baseball," Leon continued, "it was funny as hell to make the ball go in random directions and watch all my teammates run and try to grab it at practice. Didn' like usin' it for games though, that was cheap cheating."

"I can understand that. At least you were honest about it."

"Yeah, I guess," Leon agreed with a shrug. "Though if I gotta be honest with you now, being an air elemental is shit… so useless sometimes, y'know?"

"Hey, it's not so bad," Makoto protested. He couldn't understand how someone with such a gift could just think of it as _useless_ —Makoto would have given anything to have to the magic Leon had. But still, he supposed he had no right to judge, but that didn't mean he would let Leon look down on himself. "Maybe it's not as widely used as some of the other forms of magic, but it's still useful. You have a gift, be proud of it."

Leon just chuckled. "Makoto, was it? You're quite the optimistic kid, aren't you?"

"My optimism is my only redeeming trait," Makoto admitted sheepishly, "but it's still something I can do that's good."

"Yeah, don't put yourself down," the redhead sighed, "I'd kill to be able to be cheerful in this situation…"

"Why can't you?"

"Hello…? Have you _seen_ the world, now? What reason could I possibly have to be cheerful?"

Makoto just gave Leon a determined smile. "You just have to search for one. And never let it go. I have my sister and my friends, and the hope that someday things will be back to normal. And I keep fighting for those hopes… and nothing says you can't do the same." Leon stared for a moment, then scoffed, turning away. "It ain't that easy, Makoto."

"Maybe not, but it's worth it in the end…"

"Whatever you say, kid…," Leon mumbled, not saying another word.

Makoto just sighed, looking around the room at everyone. While some had seemed relatively livelier than others, Makoto still couldn't shake the fact that they had just _given up_. After all this time of trying, they gave up. Sure, it seemed only natural, but giving up was accepting defeat. It was accepting what Junko had created—and accepting it was something Makoto absolutely refused to do. How could they just accept that ending? It wasn't right. Even if they died in their fight, wasn't it better to die trying than die because they gave up on living?

But they didn't see it that way.

Makoto clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming with determination.

They didn't see it that way _yet_.

* * *

 **I'm so sorry this was late. I was originally planning to write this chapter and post it on Saturday, the day after Christmas, but I didn't get a chance all week to actually sit down and write with all the Christmas mayhem and such. So, I finally got a chance to write this week, and it's posted now. Again, though, I apologize for the wait!**

 **This chapter was admittedly sort of filler. :'D I wanted to get moving with the plot, but I also wanted to explain some things, too... but this is the fourth chapter, so it's time for a little history and character development? I really hope this was good enough for you guys, and that it lived up to what you wanted for the characters. And more history will be explained later, so if something isn't clear with one of the characters or the magic in general, don't worry, that's (most likely) intentional.**

 **And thanks to TriMaplenut, fangirlandotaku, annoyedbunny64, and Cickyellow for the reviews! You guys make my day with them. X3 Thanks so much!**

 **Again, hope you enjoy, review please and let me know what you think, and I hope you all have a lovely day! And happy 2016, guys, hope the year goes great for everyone!**


	5. Chapter 5

The town was rather quiet today. At least, compared to how bad some of the chaos could be, it was quiet and boring, but almost peaceful. Although peaceful had no meaning to anyone anymore, as _peace_ was never a permanent thing in their everyday lives—no one was sure if it ever would be again. It would always just mean that discord would happen again soon, that they were just waiting for the doom, which was the only thing they could predict nowadays.

At least, that's what Aya had been told by so many adults.

The seven year old girl walked around Teien City, easily slipping between the towering adults, as if looking for someone. Perhaps she shouldn't have wandered off? Not that it mattered now, she had already been separated from her brother, so what difference did it make to be lost looking for someone? The town was small—he would find her again soon.

As Aya continued to walk, she looked around, searching for the blonde haired girl she had become acquainted with over this whole ordeal, wanting to see her to know that nothing bad had befallen her since last time. She supposed she thought of her as an older sister by now—although Natsumi could be rather rude sometimes to Aya's big brother. But Daiki insisted that Natsumi didn't really mean the cruel things she said—despite that he sometimes seemed hurt by her comments.

"… Natsumi?" Aya squeaked out, stopping once she was out of the crowd to survey the area. Where could the older girl be right now? She didn't want to walk all the way back to the shared home that the four of them all lived in, but she wasn't sure where else the other girl could be.

She waited for a response, however upon hearing none, she turned around once more and called out louder, "Natsumi…?"

Still, no reply was—

"Wait, Aya?"

Oh, so she was here. That was nice.

"Natsumi!" Aya chirped out, turning towards the noise and running over to the person who called out to her, quickly embracing the blonde girl's legs. Natsumi seemed surprised to see the dark haired child, and let out a quiet _tch_ , ruffling Aya's hair. "Where the hell is your brother?"

"I… walked off. He's probably looking for me now."

"Aya…," Natsumi groaned, her tone almost cold, "are you stupid? You're gonna give your brother a heart attack one of these days, and we don't need Daiki dropping dead, so quit wandering off on him."

"I-I'm sorry, I don't want that to happen, but…," Aya murmured, looking down guiltily, but she merely trailed off, not bothering to continue.

"Whatever, kid. Let's just find him, alright?"

Aya nodded, reaching out and grasping onto Natsumi's hand. The blonde girl seemed a bit uncomfortable by the gesture, but as she opened her mouth to protest, she met Aya's wide eyed gaze and small, happy smile, so she simply closed her mouth with a huff and started walking.

As they walked, Aya would gently sway their hands back and forth—occasionally, Natsumi would tell her to _knock it the hell off_ , but Aya would merely stop for a few moments before picking it up again. Eventually, Natsumi gave up on telling her to stop, figuring it was merely a waste of breath. Aya could be so childish sometimes—sure, she was seven years old, but Natsumi knew she was never this innocent and careless at that age. Perhaps it was just the business she grew up in, or the family she was born into? Oh well, it didn't matter. In the end, she knew that she had never had what people called a normal childhood, so she tried not to judge, no matter how… _annoying_ Aya's childish gestures could be. Besides, Daiki put up with her insults against him, but he wouldn't let her insult his little sister, regardless if it was true. That was admirable in her mind, if only because it reminded her of _him_. Natsumi wondered briefly how he was doing, before deciding it was best not to let her mind wander there.

"So, why did you walk off, anyway?" Natsumi asked, trying to distract herself from her previous thoughts. Aya looked up at Natsumi, before staring in front of her and tugging on the blonde girl's hand. "I wanted to find you."

"Why?"

"Because… it's been a long time since I last saw you, and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Aya, it's been less than a _week_."

"Well, that's too long to not check if you're okay!" Aya said, puffing out her cheeks indignantly. Natsumi blinked, then sighed—how messed up could this child's priorities be? Sure, perhaps she was a _little_ flattered that Aya had been worried for her, but still, it didn't warrant just up and leaving her brother, likely scaring him half to death. Was Aya really that unaware of how dangerous that could be? Of how dangerous this world had become?

For that, Natsumi was almost envious.

"Well, next time, just ask your brother if he can take you to see me, got it?"

"Okay," Aya chirped, nodding her head steadily. Natsumi let out a quiet snort of amusement, finding Aya's antics almost funny. _Almost_. It could still be annoying as hell most times.

"So… where'd you last see your brother?"

"Um… around the old glass shop. On the corner by the fountain."

"Right. Let's go, then. Hopefully Daiki didn't stray too far," Natsumi decided, tugging on the little girl's hand to pull her towards that direction.

"Okay!" Aya agreed with a joyful smile, something Natsumi just couldn't understand.

How did Daiki put up with his sister's ignorance to this danger? Did he really think sheltering her this much was a good idea—because as far as Natsumi was concerned, it was doing her more harm than good. Still, he insisted that it was for her own protection, that when the world was finally good again, he didn't want her to live paranoid and afraid by the past. Sure, Aya knew of the attacks on the city—after all, who didn't? They had already had to evacuate Teien City a few times by now as the outbreaks of violence and discord had gotten too much to handle—so it wasn't like Aya didn't know the world was dangerous. But Daiki made sure that he left out as many details as he could. In Natsumi's childhood, she would never have gotten that kind of treatment—she was used to such horrid things like this. None of this really fazed her—at least not as much as it did for everyone else by now. No, her horrors came in other ways—

No, stop thinking about it.

The blonde girl looked around, trying to catch sight of the sculptor—he had probably been running around all of Teien City trying to find Aya. She could imagine the poor kid scared out of his wits by her disappearance—and it served him right for not keeping a proper eye on the child. She would be sure to tell him that once they found him.

But for now, Natsumi said nothing as they walked, not wanting to waste her breath in talking to this innocently ignorant child in the meantime. She would save her words to scold the boy instead. If Daiki wanted to shelter the girl to the point of her being oblivious and a risk to her own safety, well fine then—Natsumi didn't care anymore.

"Big brother!" Aya called out suddenly, pulling Natsumi out of her thoughts—as she tugged on the older girl's hand to pull her in the direction of the two boys, who stood in the middle of the broken sidewalk, frantically looking around. Daiki's gaze immediately went to Aya, and Natsumi could see him release a deep breath, rushing over to his little sister, with Kiyotaka following close behind him.

"Aya, why did you wander off!? I told you not to do that anymore," Daiki scolded, pulling his sister into a hug, to which the younger girl just wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her up, carrying the child in his arms. Aya just buried her face in his shoulder, mumbling a quiet _sorry_ before just snuggling into her older brother's protective hold. Natsumi could see the relief in his eyes, but she still decided to say her piece. "You _really_ need to keep a better eye on your little sister," Natsumi hissed, to which Daiki gave her a sheepish smile. "I know, I know. I'll be sure to watch her more carefully from now on," he promised, his tone almost joking, but the blonde girl knew that the boy meant what he said.

"You're such a moron, Daiki," Natsumi groaned, and the boy just chuckled nervously. "S-sorry…," he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand in an almost guilty gesture. "I didn't mean to lose sight of—,"

"—Just… watch her from now on," Natsumi snapped, cutting him off, "I can't promise I'll find her again next time, alright?"

"… Trust me, I will," Daiki replied, his expression shifting from looking guilty to one of determination as he spoke.

Kiyotaka cleared his throat, waiting until he had the attention of both of his friends before he spoke. "You seem… much more on edge about this than usual, Natsumi," he replied, "is something the matter?"

"What makes you think that?"

"It's merely your insistence over the subject of his sister's safety that is unusual!" Kiyotaka said, pointing his index finger at Natsumi, who just raised a brow. She scoffed, swatting his hand out of her face and replying, "Because of the new units I saw at the edge of Eki City. He doesn't need her running around unattended, y'know?"

"New units…?" Daiki mused, as his look flashed to worry. "You mean—,"

"—Monokuma units, you dumbass. What else?" the blonde girl explained, crossing her arms and shifting her stance. Kiyotaka furrowed his brow, shouting out "Be careful of your language—especially in front of children!" When Natsumi didn't react to his scolding, he cleared his throat, looking at her, "What kind of Monokuma units?"

"I like to call them _Bomber Monokuma_ ," Natsumi said with a sigh, "From what I saw, they've got handfuls of grenades, and bombs on their backs. They look dangerous." Daiki paled for a moment, murmuring out, "Eki City is close… really close."

"How long ago did you see them?" Kiyotaka asked, his tone as loud as usual, but Natsumi could hear the slight waver of nervousness in his voice as he asked her. "Two days ago," she replied, "so we might have a little bit more time to prepare. That is, if they decided to attack Eki City first. Otherwise…"

"… Otherwise we're in more danger than we're ready for?" Kiyotaka finished, his voice uncharacteristically quiet—a sign that Natsumi took as one of panic. "Yeah, that sounds about right," she confirmed.

Daiki bit his lip, looking torn for a moment. Before anyone else could speak, he looked at his little sister, who was resting in his arms, clutching his shirt tightly. "Hey, Aya?" he asked, "how about we get you home to sleep?"

"But what about—,"

"It's fine," he said. "Like she said, we have time."

"… Alright then, big brother," Aya agreed, a small yawn passing her lips. Daiki looked at the others with a concerned expression, still worried about the previous conversation, before he spoke again. "I'll see you guys later. Please take care," he said, and both Natsumi and Kiyotaka knew it went much deeper than a simple farewell. Natsumi let out a soft grunt, if only to acknowledge what he had said, while Kiyotaka bowed at the waist, calling out a rather eccentric, "To you as well! Take care of yourself and your sister!" Daiki giggled quietly at the gesture, mumbling back a quiet _thanks_ before walking off. As he began to walk away from them, Aya looked up from his shoulder, waving gently to the two as they departed—a motion that only Kiyotaka seemed to return. Natsumi still had her arms crossed, staring off into the distance.

"Natsumi?" Kiyotaka started, looking over at the girl—who was glaring at nothing in particular, as if her thoughts merely prompted her bitter expression. She didn't respond, and he wasn't sure if she heard him.

"… Natsumi," he tried again, and this time she jolted a bit, turning to him with an annoyed look as she finally tuned back to reality. "What?"

"Where do you plan on heading from here?"

"Probably just gonna take a walk. I'm bored as shit," she spat, shrugging her shoulders. Kiyotaka frowned, "Language, please!" Natsumi made no reply to his scolding tone once again, and he continued shortly after. "Shall I accompany you? If there truly is danger, it would do well to have—,"

"It's _fine_ , Kiyo. If anything happens, I've still got my gun, I can handle my own."

"… If you insist, then take care of yourself, Miss Kuzuryuu!" he said, bowing deeply once more, before turning on his heel. He spared one last glance at her, his expression somewhat soft and concerned, and Natsumi groaned in response, flipping him off from over her shoulder as she walked away, leaving before he could criticize her for her gesture.

As Natsumi wandered around aimlessly, nearing the border of the city, she chewed on her lip, trying to avoid any plaguing thoughts. Still, watching Daiki and Aya today… she couldn't help but wonder all of the usual things. She tried to avoid the siblings as much as she could out of her fury of her own situation, and the envy of theirs.

"Bro… where are you now?" she mused to herself, staring dejectedly at the edge of the city, where the sun gleamed as it naturally did, bathing the city in calming warmth, yet it made no difference to anyone anymore how _calming_ it might be. "How are you doing… now that you're a villain?" Natsumi clenched her fists, biting her lip until she tasted something coppery. Licking her bottom lip to wash away the blood she had drawn, she sniffled, wiping furiously at her eyes until she felt no more moisture. She hated how upset these thoughts made her—it was his own stupid choice, his own weakness that lead to his descent into madness, but it still hurt that her older brother had… changed. It hurt to think that the monster he was now was the brother she used to adore.

It hurt, no matter how much she denied the pain.

Natsumi dug her nails into her arm, hoping the pain would distract her from where her mind was wandering. She didn't need to be thinking of this now—it didn't matter anymore. It didn't matter, her brother was never coming back. She had to accept that.

And as she looked up once more, she spotted something in the distance—her eyes narrowed in suspicion, trying to focus on whatever was approaching, slowly and steadily. Natsumi raised a brow, watching as the outline was made clear—and once it was, her eyes widened as she stumbled back a few steps.

She stared a moment more, as if in denial, before running back into the city, shouting warnings at the top of her lungs.

They were here.

* * *

"Hey… Makoto?" Komaru started, "Do you really think mom and dad are okay?"

The brunette looked over at his sister, who was sitting nearby her brother at an unoccupied table. Sayaka had excused herself a while before, going over to talk with some of the others—which left the two siblings together in an unusual silence. Unlike the quiet that Makoto had known before, this silence wasn't frightening—it was merely sad. It felt draining, almost despairing, and he hated it.

"I think they'll be okay," Makoto said with a small nod, "we… need to believe in them. They're strong, and we have no proof that anything bad happened to them."

No, no, he did have proof. He had the fresh bloodstains on the clothes of the Ultimate Despair, his mother nowhere in sight when he went downstairs. He had proof—was he just in denial of it? No—he saw no real proof that they were dead, he just had assumptions and things that might have been or might have not, and that wasn't the same, it wasn't real proof—

"I'm just… scared. We left them behind, and I'm worried for them. What if they got hurt?"

"You don't know that they were," Makoto pointed out, but Komaru just snapped back with a few tears in her eyes. "And you don't know that they weren't!"

Makoto blinked, taken back by her outburst, but as Komaru went to apologize, her words died before they ever left her lips. She sniffled once, then just hugged Makoto, tearing up into his shoulder. "I'm scared… I don't like not knowing what happened to them. I just don't like it at all…"

"Komaru," Makoto began, trying to make his voice firm, despite how he was just as scared for them as she was. "Until we know for sure that something bad happened to them, isn't it better to be hopeful? Isn't it better to believe that they're okay, and keep going for them, then to give up because we doubt them? We'll see them again, I'm sure of it. But for now, we need to believe that we will, instead of doubting it entirely."

"I-I… guess so, but—,"

"I wouldn't lie to you, Komaru," he said. "There's no real proof that they're hurt."

He wouldn't lie, right? So that meant that what he saw wasn't real proof, right?

No, he decided it was best to just stop thinking about it for now. He didn't know if that was his parents' blood, or if his mother hadn't been silent for some other reason, so for now, he had to forget it and keep going on despite what his fear said.

It was all he could do at this point.

It was then that Kyoko walked down from the second floor, her footsteps echoing as she walked over to entrance of the base. "Get ready, everyone," she said, "there's an attack going on in Teien City. Let's go."

"What kind of attack?" Chihiro asked timidly, carefully standing up from where she sat. "Monokuma units," Kyoko replied, "and they have explosives. Hurry up, we need to go."

"What's the point," Haku spat, "remember the last time we tried to stop an attack? We _definitely_ did well saving everyone on that." Kyoko sent him a cold look, hissing out, "That doesn't warrant giving up, Haku. We need to go, so hurry up."

"I'm kind of with Haku," Leon said, "even if we go, what's going to actually happen? It'll be just like every time before, where people _still_ get hurt, because we can't do shit."

At that, Makoto suddenly stood up from his seat, his expression stern. "You don't know that. That was before. This is now. And right now, there's a city of people who need help. Who need people to resist despair and help them resist it, too. Right now, they _need_ you guys. Yes, some people might get hurt, but… how many people are going to get hurt if you all give up? They need everyone here, and if you don't help _them_ , then you're just helping Junko do what she wants with the world."

The other exchanged looks of surprise, as Kyoko merely stared at Makoto—but for a moment she fought to keep the grin off her face. This boy had an endless supply of hopefulness, didn't he? Yes, that should help. It should convince them. Makoto could really help them all.

"Is that really what you guys want to do…? Give up and let Junko win? At least if you try, you're still doing _something_ to help stop her."

"… He's right, actually. These people at least need us to try," Mitsuki said quietly, standing up, and leaning down briefly to give Aiko a farewell kiss. "Yeah, that's right," Aoi said, clenching her fists, her eyes gleaming with resolve. "I… don't want to help Junko, y'know?"

"I think he's stretching it, but fine," Haku sighed, "I'll go with it. It's better than sitting her and sulking. Besides…"

Leon scoffed, but stood up as well with a small smirk, "I guess when you put it that way, it's worth a shot. I'll give it one last try…"

Makoto looked around with a smile as everyone prepared, and Kyoko began to speak once more. "Yasuhiro and Aiko, you guys stay here and guard the base. Celeste, you too—keep things safe while we're gone."

"Will do," the gambler replied sweetly, and Makoto guessed she was happy to not have to be in combat this time. "Chihiro, Byakuya, Hotaru, you three evacuate the citizens," Kyoko continued, "and everyone else, prepare to fight."

Hotaru said nothing, but a smile tugged at her lips, as she walked over to Celeste—who extended a hand to accept Molly, no prompting needed between the two girls—as if it was a routine by now. Sayaka—who had been sitting and conversing with Leon prior, shared a glance with Makoto—a face of concern, and the boy understood what the look meant. "What about us?" Makoto asked, and Kyoko was silent for a moment, before replying with, "You three will be staying here where it's safe."

"… No. I'm going to help you guys."

Kyoko blinked—and the room stopped for a moment, staring back at Makoto, while the boy merely gave a determined smile. "I want to help you guys. Let me come with you—I might not have magic, but I can help evacuate everyone. Please, I want to help. If you're all going, then I want to go too."

"Makoto, please, don't," Komaru pleaded, gripping his sleeve, but he just smiled at her, pulling her in for a brief hug. "It's okay… I want to help everyone fight this. If that's how we're going to make the future better, by stopping the despair—I want to help this time…"

"Makoto…," Kyoko began, but then she let out a soft _tsk_ , and turned on her heel. "Fine, we don't have time to argue this. You can come along. Just be careful—it's dangerous out there."

"I will, I promise," Makoto replied, as Komaru's grip on his sleeve tightened. He carefully shook loose from her hold, and faced her teary gaze with a smile. "I'll be back—have faith in me, Komaru, okay?"

"Makoto, please, I… don't want to lose you too…,"

"You won't, I promise you that," the boy replied with a smile, giving his sister a reassuring hug, as if cradling her in his arms. Kyoko cleared her throat, hinting for the boy to keep moving, and with a small sigh, Makoto pulled away, beginning to walk out the door with everyone.

Komaru followed him until he finally exited—and the door closed behind everyone who left, silence engulfing the room full of those who remained. She sniffled once, trembling softly as she made her way back to her seat. Sayaka waked over to her, giving Komaru a hug, whispering reassuring things to the girl in an attempt to soothe her worries. "He'll be okay, you know he wouldn't break a promise."

"B-but if he c-can't control it… h-he can't keep that promise…!" Komaru protested, fighting the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. This was the first time in a long time she had been separated from Makoto, and she was scared. She didn't like this, she didn't like knowing he was in danger and that he could die, and that she would never get to say goodbye. She didn't like being away from the only person who had stayed hopeful through this whole ordeal—the only person who could keep her going through all of the trouble as well. She didn't like being away from her brother—it terrified her.

"Hey, it'll be okay, kid," Aiko murmured, patting the girl on the shoulder. Komaru just swallowed a sob, trying to calm her fears for what might happen to her brother out there. She wanted him back here where it was safe already—she didn't want him out there.

Yasuhiro stared at the girl, his expression almost nervous, before he jumped to his feet, startling everyone in the room. "Hey, how about I get my tarot cards and give you a reading while we wait? Sometimes knowing the future helps to keep you calm!"

"R-really?" Komaru asked quietly.

"Sure it does, after all, if you know, you can stop worrying about the bad stuff that _might_ happen, right?"

It was a pathetic attempt to distract her from the fear that gnawed at her at the absence of her brother—but Komaru supposed she appreciated it regardless.

"B-but… does it really work? C-can you really tell…?"

"Of course! I have a thirty percent accuracy rate, after all!"

"… Only thirty?' Komaru asked, but she chuckled tiredly at the claim, and Yasuhiro huffed indignantly. "Well, yeah! If you know your future, sometimes people can change the outcome by expecting!"

"That's just a lame excuse and you know it," Aiko said with a snort of laughter, and Yasuhiro grumbled, walking over to the cabinet where everyone held their few remaining belongings. Celeste just rolled her eyes slightly, turning to Komaru. "When the idiot over there is done with his con, how about I teach you how to play poker? You seem like you'll understand it better than Hotaru did."

The younger girl sniffled once more, but then smiled softly, nodding once. "Yeah… I'd like that. Thank you, guys…"

"Of course!" Yasuhiro said, grabbing his deck of tarot cards and walking back over to the table. "I mean… after all, anything to keep someone happy, right?"

"Yeah," Komaru said with a tearful smile, remembering everything Makoto would tell her. Everything he would say to keep her happy and cheerful, to reassure her that it would all be okay. She would always believe him when he said being hopeful would help them, if only because she wanted to deny the negative things. But right now, she started to believe that maybe, just maybe, it really was true that remaining hopeful was the answer.

"Yeah… that's right."

* * *

 **So... at least we're back on the plot now? I'm actually nervous about this chapter. The filler content is over with for now, and we're making progress on the plot, so... hopefully it was good enough for you guys? Also, more characters introduced, yay.**

 **And by the way, thankfully reviews are fixed, so I could read them all. I'm so happy about that, actually, because it sucks when I can't read what everyone has to say.**

 **Thanks to Luckenhaft, TriMaplenut, and Sync Ryu for the reviews, I loved all of them. Thanks so much for the feedback, you guys are awesome!**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed, review if you liked it, and c'ya guys next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

The first thing Makoto registered when they finally arrived at Teien City was the rattling explosions that echoed out—one right after another. The resistance member rushed into the city as quick as they were able to run, with Kyoko at the lead, calling out instructions as loud as she could to be heard over the bursts of sound that came right before the fiery shows the grenades left behind.

"Leon, Mitsuki and Touko—you three fight the units with me, try to find a common weakness— Aoi, work on putting out any fires, and everyone else, evacuate the citizens, and stay out of the way of the fight!"

As everyone acknowledged her order, Makoto stayed quiet—he knew that while Kyoko intended her last instructions to a good portion of the team members without fighting magic, the _stay out of the way_ was directed at him. He could tell by the stern glare she gave him as she said it, before she turned back to look in front of her, and rushed off with the other four and into the fray.

Byakuya grabbed Makoto's sleeve roughly, dragging the boy off with him. "Hotaru, Chihiro, you two team up and cover the far side of the city! Haku, look for anyone who's injured and carry them out—Makoto, you're coming with me for this—so try not to mess anything up," the heir ordered, as the two girls nodded, running off and out of sight—dodging the grenades that flew just over their heads and landed beside them, and ducking through the fire and smoke from the burning buildings that began to fill the air and cloud their vision. Haku just nodded with a gruff sigh, vanishing from sight as he went to search for anybody who was wounded.

Makoto swallowed a lump in his throat at the overwhelming sights, and Byakuya yanked on the boy's sleeve once more. "I said come _on,_ Makoto, stop staring and get to work!"

"R-right…!"

Both males rushed forward, looking for any people still trying to escape the chaos. Makoto spotted what he assumed was a family—two parents and a little boy—trying to find a way out as the explosions kept raging on around them, and with a shout he and Byakuya were running towards them. "Follow us, and don't stop running until we say so," Byakuya instructed, his tone surprisingly calm despite the situation—and Makoto briefly wondered if the heir was even worried at all. Of course he was, Makoto reasoned—but panicking would do nothing after all. The mother scooped her child up into her arms, following after Byakuya and Makoto as they ran, dodging the explosives to the best of their abilities. Though Makoto wasn't quite sure what to do—he had wanted to help, but he admittedly should have asked what to expect—he followed Byakuya, looking behind them continuously to make sure the family was still trailing behind them.

"W-who are you even…!?" the father of the family called out over the noise, and Byakuya didn't spare him a glance as he replied, "Part of the resistance that's going to save you, now be quiet and just follow me!"

"Byakuya, l-look out!" Makoto shouted, eyes widening as he locked his gaze with a Bomber Monokuma, who jumped up and began charging at them, explosives ready in hand. Byakuya let out a quiet _tsk_ , swinging his arm back behind him and pulling something from off his belt—Makoto couldn't recall seeing him grab a megaphone before they left, but he wasn't sure how it would help in their situation at all. However, Byakuya simply raised the device, taking careful aim as the Monokuma unit approached, getting closer and closer, and finally Byakuya pressed down on the button. Makoto could only watch in awe as something he couldn't even describe—like a ball of energy, but he wasn't even sure what it was—launched from the megaphone, and struck the Monokuma dead in the center of its body, causing it to convulse for a moment, before it suddenly exploded in place, its grenades detonating with it. The heir let out a satisfied _hmph_ , clipping the device back onto his belt and looking once more at the group. "Don't stall, keep moving you simpletons," he ordered, yanking on the mother's sleeve and dragging the woman along once more.

Makoto nodded, silently following Byakuya alongside the father of the family, as they approached the outskirts of town. Looking back behind them, Makoto saw Hotaru and Chihiro approaching from within the city, leading a group of five adults behind them, with a small child in the blue haired girl's arms. The brunette boy could hear Byakuya giving the family instructions to _stay put, and don't go back until we tell you to_ , as he watched the two girls get closer, the people from the city in tow. "Are you guys okay?" Makoto asked, concern in his voice, and Hotaru let out a raspy cough as she nodded. "We're fine, but the kid's injured. We saw a group of teens near an old office by the park—think you could take Chihiro and get to them while I patch her up?" Hotaru asked, nodding her head down towards the child in her arms, who sniffled quietly and reached an arm out towards who Makoto assumed was the little girl's mother.

"Will do! C'mon, Chihiro," Makoto said, looking at the small programmer, and she nodded in response, the two of them hastily running back into the city. "O-over… over h-here!" Chihiro called out, struggling to be heard over the noise around them, trying to lead Makoto over to the building where the two girls previously found the group. Makoto followed, trying to pick up the pace—he was incredibly happy that Touko's spell had worked so well, otherwise he'd be having so much trouble right now—as they neared the group of teens. As the two got closer, Makoto could see now that there was a young girl in the group as well, fearfully clutching her older brother's pant leg.

"I-is anyone h-hurt?" Chihiro stammered, looking up at the blonde girl in the group, who merely groaned. "We're _fine_ ," Natsumi replied, "but think you could help us out of here, Chihiro?" The programmer nodded timidly—like a scared little mouse by the girl's demeanor, and Makoto only had a moment to wonder how Natsumi knew her name before they were off and running again—Daiki scooping Aya up into his arms as he trailed behind them.

Makoto tried his best to keep watch of the dangers around them as they ran, but he couldn't deny feeling overwhelmed by the chaos and discord. Hadn't he become used to these kinds of things by now? No—he might have witnessed awful riots like this before in the town he once called home, but he would never grow to accept the violence and destruction that was caused.

"M-Makoto!" Chihiro called out, raising a shaky hand to point to their left, where two of the resistance members were being overcome by a swarm of Bomber Monokuma. Makoto blinked, almost paralyzed, noticing how Mitsuki clutched her arm through it all, tears beading up in her eyes like she was in pain, but still murmuring spells to try and deal damage to the units—and Leon was beside her, using gusts of air to try and knock them back and away from them as they began getting too close to the two resistance members. But despite his efforts, the units still managed to trap them inside a circle, closing in around them, each one with grenades in hand, ready to end it. Makoto watched in terror as the two of them shared nervous looks, before bracing themselves, as if accepting the end. And as Makoto tried to call out to them and tell them not to give in, someone else beat him to it.

"Hey, back off!" Daiki shouted out, catching the attention of a few Bomber Monokuma that turned to face him as he set his little sister down. Daiki took a few steps back, but braced himself a moment later and let his foot slip out from under him, sliding along the sidewalk in front of him as he caught his balance on the ground with his hands. Though Chihiro ushered the others to keep moving, the rest of the group stopped and watched as Daiki's movement caused the ground to disrupt, the street soon breaking to rubble like a wave, crashing into a good amount of the Monokuma. The ones who met the brunt of the earth elemental's attack fell onto their backs, and knocked their fellow units down like a trail of dominos, surrounding both Leon and Mitsuki, who barely had any time to react to what had happened.

And as Makoto smiled, opening his mouth to express his relief, that's when it happened.

Through the Monokuma units' flailing, trying to get back onto their feet, the bombs on their backs let out a faint glow—and there wasn't much time to register what that meant before they all exploded around the two, one right after the other. Chihiro covered her mouth in fear, and Daiki's eyes widened, small tears gathering in his eyes at the thought of what he had just done. "I-I… no… t-tell me that didn't just…"

For a moment, Makoto was still with fear, unable to move or breathe. Had that truly just happened? Had Leon and Mitsuki really been caught in that explosion? No, there was no denying—with how small the circle had been around them, there was no way they would avoided all the blasts. Makoto swallowed a lump in his throat, wishing to stay in denial a little while longer. This couldn't have just happened…

"L-Leon…? Leon!? Mitsuki!?" Chihiro cried out, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

As the smoke cleared, Makoto narrowed his eyes, making out two figures on their knees on the ground. He heard a quiet, feminine sounding voice murmuring words, before a blurry, dome-shaped shield disappeared from the air, and Leon waved his arms, changing the winds to blow away the smoke before it got to him and Mitsuki.

"Okay, who the _hell_ just did that…!?" Leon shouted, glaring at the group—which Daiki offered an apologetic glance. "I-I'm sorry… I didn't know that would happen."

"It's… it's fine," Mitsuki reassured, "we just… didn't have much time to react." She coughed into her hand, as Leon helped the burgundy haired girl to her feet, making sure she was standing straight before looking around. "Good job on the protection spell, by the way," he said gruffly, "haven't seen you use a spell that quickly before."

"I'm honestly surprised I managed it that fast, too. I'm just glad it worked…," Mitsuki said with a small smile, looking at Makoto and the others. "Did any of you guys get hurt by that?"

"No, miss, we're quite alright!" Kiyotaka said with a firm nod, causing Mitsuki to sigh in relief. "I'm so glad," she said quietly.

"Can we get moving, please?" Natsumi hissed with a frown, as Daiki ushered Aya over to the blonde girl. "Take Aya. I'm gonna stay and help."

"B-big brother…!"

Daiki just offered Aya a smile, leaning down quickly to give her a small kiss on the top of her head. "I'll be alright, I promise! And you know I won't break a promise!"

Makoto watched as Aya sniffled and nodded, gripping onto Natsumi's hand—and he couldn't help the heavy feeling in his chest that he had made the same promise to Komaru.

And like Daiki, he didn't intend on breaking that promise.

"Come on, then," Leon said, "we know the weakness now at least. But we've gotta—,"

"I have an idea, guys," Makoto cut in, "but we're gonna have to time it right." He looked at the two boys, determination clear in his eyes. "And I need you two to work with it, alright?"

"Makoto…"

"Leon, please! You can't give up now, not after all of this. We need to try… and if we keep trying, there's a good chance we'll succeed. But you have to _take_ the chance first."

"… Fine," the baseball star sighed, "I'll do it."

"I'm in, too" Daiki said with a nod, "what do you need me to do?"

"Well… here's the plan…"

* * *

Kyoko watched the two units gear up for attack—reeling their arms back to throw their grenades at her. She tossed the large rock in her hand once, making sure to take careful aim, and then threw it as hard as she could at one of the units. The stone smacked right into its paw, knocking the explosive out of its hand and to the ground between them. The Monokuma units both jolted in shock, before running out of the way, managing to avoid the explosion from the fallen grenade. Kyoko clicked her tongue—how troublesome.

"Hey… Kyoko!"

The lavender haired girl stood up straight, briskly turning on her heel to face Makoto as he ran towards her, Daiki and Leon in tow. "Makoto!" she called out, her tone scolding, "I told you to—,"

"We have an idea, but you need to help us!"

Kyoko looked back in front of her, a small groan escaping her lips. " _What_ idea?"

"Their weakness is the bomb on their backs!" Makoto explained, looking around nervously as the Monokuma units neared them once more, reaching to grab more grenades. "I-If you can knock them over, it'll make those bombs explode and it'll destroy them with it."

Kyoko's head perked up a little, and with a brief glance back at Makoto, she let out a quiet hum. "So, that's great, but what's this idea you have exactly?"

"Lure them all together, and knock them over all at once," Leon explained, picking up a rock and throwing it a high speed at the two approaching units, knocking one down into the other and bracing for the blasts—watching as the explosions proved their point.

"And _how_ do you plan on doing that? It quite honestly sounds foolish to think you can even get them to stay all together."

"Just… trust me," Makoto pleaded, tugging on Kyoko's sleeve and looking her in the eyes. Their gaze locked for a moment, before Kyoko let out an irritated huff—yet despite this, she nodded. "Fine," she said, "I'll go with it."

"… Thank you," Makoto said with a smile.

"I'll go up above the buildings to see if I can get a view of where the rest of those little bastards are," Leon decided, "and you two see if you can't get them to chase you back here to Daiki?"

"Sounds like a plan," Makoto said with a nod, and Leon grinned, stomping his foot on the ground to launch himself into the air, and with that the three were off.

"By the fountain guys! Got three of 'em!" Leon called out, his voice echoing slightly from up above them. Kyoko grabbed Makoto's hand, dragging him along behind her as they rushed by, catching the attention of the Bomber Monokuma. The three units let out sounds, almost like laughter, as they began chasing after the duo. Makoto felt Kyoko's grip on his hand tighten slightly, making sure he was still with her as they sped up, following Leon's instructions as they gathered the horde behind them. The brunette boy was just starting to tire out from all of the running—despite the adrenaline that was pumping through him, this was much more racing around than he was used to—when he heard Leon call out, "That all of 'em!"

Makoto looked at Kyoko as they continued to run, trying to pick up his pace. "You heard him, right?" he asked.

Kyoko didn't spare a glance at Makoto, but she nodded, confirming that she knew what to do now. With a sharp turn on her heel, she bolted with him to the left, running down the street to meet up with the black haired boy who waited for their return. When they spotted Daiki, Makoto shouted as loud as he could, trying to warn the boy to be ready. "Hey! D-Daiki…! It's almost time!"

Daiki's head snapped up to the two of them, and upon spotting the crowd of Monokuma units that chased after both Kyoko and Makoto, he nodded nervously, stomping his foot down once and sliding it out behind him, creating a small wall of raised ground. When both the units and two resistance members were close enough to him, Kyoko and Makoto stopped running, their backs pressed against each other as they looked around at the multiple bombers that began to approach them. "Daiki, hurry up!" Kyoko hissed out, and at her command, the boy began running around them in a small circle with heavy footsteps, walling them up in a ring of jagged earth.

"Almost done!" Daiki reassured, and leaving a small gap, he waved his hand towards them, signaling for Kyoko and Makoto to hurry out of the trap. Kyoko nodded, elbowing a Monokuma out of her way, pulling on Makoto's hand to lead them both out. The brunette had barely stumbled out of the ring when Daiki stomped his foot forward, raising his hand to close the circle completely, locking the remaining units inside. Leon landed on the ground, a large rock in his hand. "I'm up next?" he asked, a confident grin on his face. Both Daiki and Makoto nodded, and after tossing the stone once, Leon launched up in the air once again, hovering above the ring of shifted ground.

"One shot," Leon mumbled, drawing his arm back, and with incomparable speed, he pitched the stone at a single unit, knocking a few over as well as it fell.

The redhead let himself fall down to the ground, and called out, "Get down!" a few moments before a chorus of explosions chimed out. The four had dropped to the ground, covering their ears to block out the noise until finally, the sound stopped, and silence took over the area. They all hesitated a moment, before Kyoko looked over at Leon. "Go and check to see if there's any left," she instructed, and the baseball star just let out a huff, floating into the air once more. He was quiet for a few seconds, then a loud laugh escaped his lips as he glanced down at them with a grin. "None left! We got 'em! Did you guys see that—that was fuckin' sweet! We _got_ those bastards good!"

Makoto just laughed happily, a sudden feeling of relief washing over him. They had done it. They really had succeeded—that must have meant something, right?

Kyoko let out a quiet hum, a pleased smile on her face. "… Good work," she said, looking back at Makoto as the words passed her lips. The boy chuckled sheepishly, "It was all of our idea, but… thanks."

Kyoko nodded once, still smiling, before the grin fell off her face and she looked at Leon as he landed back down on the ground. "We need to go gather the others. Do you think you three can do that while I assess the damage?"

"Will do!" Daiki said with a bright smile, "Besides… I need to go find Aya and let her know that it's okay now."

"Sure, we can do that," Makoto replied to her, and with a nod from Leon, the three were heading off.

Kyoko watched them leave, her gaze falling on Makoto until they all disappeared from sight. This boy was… something. And Kyoko was starting to truly like his influence.

Yes, this could work after all…

* * *

Teruteru continued to stir the soup steadily, humming quietly to himself as he did. There wasn't much to cook right now—but that was fine. If the food was shit, well, they deserved it for not getting him the right ingredients. He had made specific requests, that shouldn't be too hard to follow, but they still managed to screw it up. Did they do it on purpose? Perhaps…

As he continued stirring, he could hear the rest of the group behind him, talking loudly about the events that had happened. The three that Junko had sent out a few days ago had finally returned—and everyone else was quickly asking questions about what had transpired on their mission.

"Took you long enough to get back," the imposter spat, harshly swishing the bottle with their potion inside. It was once again filled to the lid, and Sonia realized that they must have created a mixture to give them a new guise when the effects on their appearance from their current potion wore off. "I see you have been busy in our absence, however," the princess said firmly.

"What took you so long?" Mikan asked, to which she received a dark glare from Hiyoko. "Hey, pigshit, who the hell gave you permission to open your filthy mouth—because I certainly didn't, you skank!"

Mikan giggled gleefully, an embarrassed blush appearing on her face. "O-oh… ahaha, o-of course! I-I'm sorry… t-the pigshit will be quiet n-now…," she mumbled, her eyes half lidded, almost ecstatically, before she just closed them completely and stayed quiet, smiling sweetly. Hiyoko scoffed, pouting a bit and walking over to find a place to sit.

Nekomaru looked over at Sonia, but when she remained quiet, he answered instead, his voice loud as it always seemed to be. "She sent us to Kawa City, but we decided to see what we could do in the other towns on the way back!" he laughed energetically, "I've gotta say—it was the most fun I've had in a while! It really raises your spirits to prove your strength that way!"

"So, how many towns did you guys manage to get to?" Akane rasped out—the painfully thin girl sitting slouched in a chair at the table, her sunken in eyes gazing at the large man, who sat down across from her. Nobody was sure why she was sitting with them during their meals—the athlete rarely ever let herself eat anyway—perhaps she merely wanted to taunt herself by the sight and smell of the wonderful cooking? But instead of commenting on that, Hiyoko merely replied with, "Three. We got to the last one earlier today. Junko better be fucking proud of us for it—my kimono's almost completely red and do you even _know_ how hard it is to get bloodstains out of silk?"

"Actually, she's damn pissed about it," Fuyuhiko hissed, "You took forever. She's been waiting for your lazy asses all day, and you _know_ how she gets when she's bored and has nothing to do."

"Hey!" Mahiru protested, "Don't start picking on her just because _she_ decided to go out of her way to do a favor for Junko!"

"Excuse me, bitch?" Fuyuhiko asked. "Don't defend her—Junko always takes her anger out on anyone here, so _excuse me_ for not wanting to deal with it because of those fuck-ups!"

Mahiru's gaze narrowed, her glare fierce as smoke began to billow out from under her feet, emphasizing her anger. "The only _fuck-up_ here is you, y'know."

"And _how_ exactly is that the case?" the shorter boy asked, his tone almost venomous. "Because I decide to do exactly as she says so I don't mess up her plans? Because I don't go against the instructions and waste her time? Because I don't decide to make everyone wait for me to come back and make them deal with Junko's bullshit? Is that is, huh?"

"Oh, of course, relying on someone else to give you orders? You can't do anything without someone else backing you up," Mahiru edged on, "That same useless, pathetic, worthless trait about you is _exactly_ why your sister agreed to take over your syndicate instead, isn't it?"

" _Shut the fuck up, bitch!_ " Fuyuhiko growled out, lunging forward and slapping Mahiru against the cheek. The redheaded elemental stumbled back from the force, and blinked, almost stunned, before she giggled. "… Did I strike a nerve, _Kuzu_?"

The blonde boy reeled back, then hissed, grabbing her chin harshly and pulling her face down to be inches away from his as he spat out his words. The rest of the room only watched their fight—mild amusement on their features.

"One, don't you _ever_ call me that broad's nickname. And two, don't _ever_ mention the _syndicate_ or that traitorous _bitch,_ understand me _?_ "

As the frost began to spread on her face, burning her flesh in blistering cold, Mahiru just smiled. "Your element is getting out of control. You really should practice more to keep it under control."

"Who says my ice isn't under my control right now?"

"Oh, is it?" Mahiru asked, rolling her eyes. "My bad. But if that's how you want to play…"

A moment later, she gripped his wrist, willing her element to light the small flame in her palm. Fuyuhiko was silent, before screeching out in pain, yanking his arm away and freeing Mahiru's chin—revealing the frostbitten skin on the redhead's face. Despite this, the girl didn't seem to mind the pain it caused, and as Peko drew her sword out in a fiercely protective gesture, Fuyuhiko cradled his wrist and finally snapped. " _You fucking bitch, you're fucking dead—,"_

Though Fuyuhiko reeled his arm back to strike her once more, another voice rang out, and everyone stopped cold. "Enough, all of you. You're acting like children—barely befitting of Junko's most loyal and trusted group, wouldn't you agree?"

"Our apologies," Peko said after a moment, sliding her sword back into its sheath, and bowing at the waist in regret. The brunette male looked at her impassively. "Stand up, woman. You're too pathetic that way."

"Of course."

"What are you doing here so late?" Kazuichi asked, looking at him and scratching the back of his head, as he twirled the wrench in his hand.

"Junko wanted me to gather you all," he replied. "She wanted to talk to everyone."

"About what?" Ibuki asked, tilting her head curiously.

Nagito trailed into the room a moment later, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Ah… I don't know. But she seemed to be quite upset after my update about the latest riot in Teien," he explained with a tired grin.

"And for what reason are you smiling like the devil while talking about her disdain?" Gundham asked sharply, but Nagito just smiled. "Please… it's _Junko_. Even when she's upset, you can't ever know what she's really thinking of, y'know?"

"So get up and get going," the other male said simply. "You really wouldn't want to keep her waiting."

Gundham just let out a quiet _hmph_ , before turning away from them and standing up. "Very well then." Sonia stood up after him, taking quick, yet graceful steps to follow. Teruteru turned the stove off, moving the pot so the soup wouldn't overcook itself, and slowly but surely, the other members stood up and left the room to meet with Junko—until only the two boys and the gamer girl sleeping in her chair remained in the dining room.

Nagito chuckled quietly, walking over and shaking the pink haired girl's shoulder. "Chiaki?" he murmured. "Wake up, Junko wants to meet with us."

"H…huh? Oh… sorry," Chiaki murmured sleepily, yawning softly. Pushing her chair out, she drowsily made her was out the door, mumbling a quiet greeting to the other male.

Nagito stood there, staring at the brunette boy with a smile. "Are you coming or not?" the other asked, eyes narrowed. The white haired boy nodded, a smile on his face. "Of course, Hajime."

Though as the other male's nose wrinkled, and he let out a quiet hiss, Nagito waved his hands in front of himself with an apologetic chuckle. "Sorry, sorry… I know better than that."

"You should," the boy hissed, walking out of the room without another word. Nagito watched him leave, a small grin on his lips.

"Right… sorry, Izuru."

* * *

 **I can do nothing but apologize for this being so late.**

 **I had to rehearse for an audition for a local improvisational-theater group, so that took a week until the audition, then I got sick, and I had to catch up on school work instead of writing. But I am so, so, so sorry for this being late!**

 **I'm actually almost done with the next chapter as well, so expect that this Friday to make up for it. Just two days, I promise.**

 **But still, this is a bit of an action chapter, which... admittedly are hard for me to write. So if it isn't all that good, I deeply apologize for that. But we also got to meet the rest of the Ultimate Despair members... yay? Wonder what their deal is, huh... c':**

 **Also, thanks to TriMaplenut and Sync Ryu for the reviews, I love every word you guys write, and it really helps. X3 Thanks so much for the reviews, I adore them!**

 **And to answer a few of the questions- no traumatized Aya... at least, not as of yet. Or will she be at all, hmm...? But at least there's sort of an answer as to how Fuyu turned to despair without his sister's death. Which pain is worse- the pain of betrayal, or the pain of loss? Though the complete details will fill in eventually. And I know there's something in the very next chapter you'll be thankful to read, TriMaplenut... X'P**

 **Anyway, I don't want to take up too much with an author's note, so... hopefully you guys enjoyed, hope my action scene wasn't too bad, and enjoy the despairy-ness of these little weirdos at the end. Leave a review if you'd like, anything- positive or negative- is appreciated, and c'ya guys next chapter! ^^**


	7. Chapter 7

"So… how the hell are we gonna repair all of the damage?" Natsumi asked, not entirely caring about sugarcoating her sentence for Aya—who stood with the blonde girl, clutching her hand tightly. Kiyotaka cleared his throat, as if trying to scold her for her language in front of the child, but Natsumi paid no mind to it. "Well… perhaps that is something we're going to have to figure out as we go!" he exclaimed. "But at least there isn't too much damage to repair!"

"It… could have been worse, right?" Aya asked quietly, chiming in to the conversation briefly, as Kiyotaka smiled, patting the child on the back. "Indeed! It could have been much worse—so we should be thankful that it was only this much!"

"Hmph… whatever," Natsumi groaned, looking around the city. Teien had suffered damage from this, sure—but Kiyotaka was right, it wasn't as bad as they had all imagined and feared. Most fires seemed to have been put out quickly, and the explosions had been relatively mild—before just stopping entirely. A few buildings were reduced to pure rubble, but it appeared that there were enough decent buildings and homes left to house the people in the city still.

Well—at least it was that way from what she could see at the edge of the city, anyway.

"B-Big brother…!" Aya cried out suddenly, tearing herself from Natsumi's grasp to run up to Daiki, who approached with Leon and Makoto behind him. Daiki chuckled, embracing his sister as she threw herself at him, and he carried her in his arms for a moment, whispering that he _made a promise, right?_ Tears were beading up in both of their eyes, and Natsumi looked away, deciding the scene was too sickly sweet and sappy to pay attention to.

"We're good now!" Leon called out. "The units are gone, everyone can head back in now!"

The people of the city expressed their relief at the statement, the families slowly, cautiously making their way back into their town with the members of the resistance escorting them—though despite the lingering fear, they seemed somewhat happy. Perhaps they were glad it was over quickly? Makoto wasn't sure, but he smiled nonetheless, glad that things had been successful. Kiyotaka nodded, bowing at the waist for a moment. "Thank you very much for your help!" he called out, before turning to Natsumi, who ushered him away. The boy hesitated, but relented, heading back into the city—likely to assess the damage done to the building the four friends stayed in.

"Well, I'll admit," Natsumi said, walking up to the two boys who remained, "you guys did a much better job now than during that last attack we had."

"Yeah, yeah," Leon hissed, rubbing the back of his neck. "We fucked up last time, Natsumi… you can stop rubbing it in our faces now."

"But," Makoto cut in, "like you said, we did a better job this time, right? So… that's gotta be something towards success, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," the blonde agreed gruffly.

"He's right, though, we kicked ass this time—did you see that huge explosion?" Leon asked with a slight grin. " _That_ was much better than last time by itself, never mind the rest of it."

"What _was_ that explosion, anyway? It scared the shit out of Aya, and then next thing we know everything's calm again. The hell did you guys do?"

"Trapped them all in a circle, and knocked 'em over onto the each other to blow themselves up. It was fuckin' wicked," Leon explained, smirking slightly.

"How did you trap them?" Natsumi asked, almost curiously. Leon shrugged, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at Makoto as he replied, "Had 'em chasin' this kid to lure them all together—and Kyoko, too. We got her to help out with that part."

Natsumi paused, then raised a brow, "The hell did you need two people getting chased for? That's stupid—you'd be better off only risking one person, dumbass."

"Hey, look at this kid," Leon protested, slinging an arm around Makoto's shoulders, and using his free hand to grip Makoto's chin, squishing the boy's cheeks slightly. A sheepish look found its way onto Makoto's face, as he looked away from Natsumi, not wanting to see her amused smirk. "Look at him," Leon repeated. "Does he _really_ seem like the type that could survive a horde of Monokuma chasing him all by himself?"

"No, he really doesn't. But why Kyoko? I mean, _you_ could have gone with him."

"Oh, c'mon, Natsumi! You know how Kyoko is—everything has to go by her first otherwise she gets all frustrated. And by that point we didn't feel like looking for someone else."

"True," Natsumi mused, a small smirk on her lips.

"… That's right, I had wanted to ask," Makoto spoke up, looking at Natsumi. "When Chihiro and I had passed by earlier, you knew her… and you said that the resistance has been here before? So… you're all familiar with each other?"

"Sort of, yeah," Natsumi murmured. "We've had a few attacks here before, and they've come in to help, so I know these jackasses by heart, unfortunately… 'cept you. I'm guessing you're new, then, huh?"

He nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Yeah… Makoto Naegi, it's nice to meet you," he introduced, extending his hand. The girl stared at it for a moment, before groaning, grasping his hand and shaking it once. "Been a while since I've seen formalities like that," she mused, "but whatever. The name's Natsumi Kuzuryuu—try not to forget it."

"Kuzuryuu…?" Makoto murmured, before his eyes widened and he looked at her with an expression of shock. "Y-you… mean like, as in _the Kuzuryuu Clan_?" But Natsumi just laughed lightly, almost playfully, before offering him a smirk. "Oh, please, kid. You're acting like my family's syndicate has any power anymore. Have you _seen_ the world lately? The only force with power is Junko fuckin' Enoshima."

Makoto swallowed hard as he nodded quietly, unsure of what to say. Leon cut in a moment after, his arms behind his head as he chuckled. "Yet despite her adorable looks and current lack of lackeys, Natsumi over here would still be more than happy to chop your fingers off if you mess up, so uh… word of advice then, kid? Don't," the redhead warned, nudging Makoto slightly, and the boy just looked at Natsumi with a nervous smile. The blonde merely smirked, rolling her eyes. "I'm a yakuza by blood. Regardless of the state of the world, some things will never change, y'know? If that's how I was raised, there's no changing it."

"Y-yeah…"

"Well," Natsumi began with a shrug. "You seem hopelessly innocent like Daiki, so that shouldn't be much on an issue for you. As long as you aren't a mouthy son of a bitch like Leon over here is, I wouldn't worry about running out of fingers."

"G-Good… to know," Makoto stammered quietly, smiling unsurely. Sensing his discomfort, Leon shrugged attempting to change the topic. "'Ey, guys, speaking of Daiki, where'd he go?"

The blonde girl looked around for a moment, then pointed over to Leon's left—where Daiki was talking with the lavender haired detective about something, with Aya snuggled safely in her older brother's arms. A moment later, Daiki looked over at them, waving his hand to usher the three kids over. After sharing a glance, they walked over, to which Kyoko began to speak.

"Natsumi, would you mind if we stayed with the four of you for tonight? I want to make sure that the attack won't pick up again," the girl explained, and Natsumi shrugged, an impassive look on her face. "Sure, whatever. The place is big enough for everyone, I guess."

"Good," Kyoko said with a firm nod, before turning on her heel to walk away. "I would ask that you two gather the others and let them know we'll be staying with the former members of the resistance—and meet me there. I'm going to call everyone else back at the base and let them know what's going to happen," Kyoko called out over her shoulder. Makoto blinked, then rushed up to her, gently taking her hand to stop her from walking.

"Wait…," he murmured quietly, "Can you… tell Komaru that I kept my promise, and that I'll see her tomorrow?"

Kyoko paused, then smirked slightly, an amused hum escaping her lips. "I was planning to. There's no point in letting her worry longer than she has to, right?"

The brunette boy chuckled quietly in reply, offering Kyoko a warm smile. "Right…," he said with a nod. Kyoko gave him a hesitant smile back, before her expression went back to the calm mask she always wore, and she pulled her hand out of Makoto's grasp, walking off and out of sight, as the boy just stared at her back the entire time. Both Leon and Natsumi approached the boy, and as Leon draped an arm over Makoto's shoulders once more, he chuckled out, "Shall we go, bro? It's been a long day, and I'm lookin' forward to gettin' the rest of it over with."

"Then hurry the fuck up instead of talking to him," Natsumi hissed, rolling her eyes and starting to walk off, with the two boys in tow. As they walked, looking for the rest of the resistance, Makoto couldn't help his lingering thought, and a silly smile curled at his lips as it absentmindedly went through his head.

He wasn't sure if he imagined it, but… even with the leather glove on, Kyoko's hand felt comfortingly warm.

* * *

"Yes… I understand that the base is fine on your end, Celeste?"

 _"We're quite alright here, Kyoko."_

"That's a relief to hear."

 _"And how was the mission?"_

"It went fine. Some damage was done, some places worse than others, though the attack didn't last long."

 _"Oh?"_

"The weakness was found and they were taken care of. I'll explain more when we all return."

 _"Very well then—though how nice to hear it went smoothly. And is everyone faring alright, I take it?"_

"Yes, we're fine. She's fine. Don't worry, Celeste."

 _"I see. Who said I was worried?"_

"… Oh, and Celeste?"

 _"Yes?"_

"Tell Komaru her brother is alright, and he kept his promise to her."

Kyoko could hear the girl giggle on the other end, before humming quietly. _"Will do, Kyoko. Take care of yourself. We'll be seeing you all tomorrow, correct?_ "

"Yes. Take care of yourselves as well. Goodbye."

 _"Goodbye."_

Kyoko hung up the phone, slipping the cellphone back into her jacket pocket. As she did, she could hear the door open, and the voices of her fellow teammates sounded out as they all entered the office building that the four other teens called home. With a single glance back, Kyoko made sure everybody was there, before she walked off, going to find a place to rest.

"So…," Makoto began, looking at Kiyotaka. "Kyoko had mentioned that you were former members of the resistance?"

"Well… I'm not," Kiyotaka began, but then looked at his friends with an approving nod. "But Natsumi and Daiki were!"

"Really?"

"Yeah," Daiki confirmed. "But we both had to leave for our own reasons. I found out that my parents… escaped in a not-so-pleasant way, so I left to look after Aya." The boy looked at his sister, who was asleep in his arms, before smiling softly. "… Excuse me," he murmured, walking off, likely to put his sister to bed.

Makoto watched the boy leave, before looking over at Natsumi. "And you?"

"Eh?"

"Why did you leave the resistance?" Makoto clarified, earning a venomous glare for the blonde girl.

"None of your damn business, kid."

"Right… sorry," he apologized, nodding with a sad frown on his features. Natsumi could only stare at the boy, almost confused by his sympathy, before she scoffed. "Whatever… point is, I left, and Daiki and I have been staying in Teien ever since. We found Kiyotaka a while after we quit, and he's been staying with us as well since then."

"Got it," Makoto said with a small smile, finding a place to sit down and talk, as Daiki returned a few moments later, Aya no longer with him. "Is she asleep?" Makoto asked, and Daiki nodded silently, sitting down next to Natsumi. Makoto looked around, swinging his legs gently as he sat, looking around the building curiously. "How long has this been your home?"

"Eh… 'bout a year," Natsumi confirmed. "We've been in this place ever since the last riot that everyone came in to help. They didn't do a very good job, though… if I remember, they lost one of their teammates in the attack."

"Speaking of which…," Haku suddenly cut in, looking over at the blonde, with a look of desperation on his face. "Tomoyo… has she come back at all? Have you seen her, or…?"

"No, Haku. We haven't seen or heard from her since the attack she went _missing_ in, remember?" Natsumi replied, her tone almost sarcastic, as if she didn't believe that the girl was missing at all.

"… I see," Haku said simply, but Makoto could almost see the boy's heart drop. "Thank you for the update…"

With that, the ginger haired boy stormed off, not another word spoken. Makoto chewed on the corner of his lip, debating over whether it was his business to ask, but finally his curiosity got the best of him as he turned to both Natsumi and Daiki. "What… exactly is the case with Tomoyo?"

"She was this tiny little girl who joined the resistance close to when it first formed," Natsumi explained. "actually, I think she's the one who got Haku to join, too. If I remember, he wanted nothing to do with any rebellion, but after his girlfriend decided she wanted to join and help, he went along with it, probably just to protect her. Then we had an attack on the city, and she was helping evacuate everyone, but… when they went to rally everyone up again, she wasn't there. Haven't seen her since, either… Haku thinks that since no one ever found her body, that she's still fine, just lost—but she's likely dead and he's just in denial."

"N-Natsumi…!" Daiki squeaked out, then frowned. "He has a right to try and believe that she's okay… right?"

"Yeah, up until he inevitably finds her dead, and then he got his hopes up for nothing. Hasn't _that_ possibility ever occurred to you?"

"And suppose she is alive?" Daiki countered, "then what will giving up do? If she's alive and he gives up on her…"

"It's better to give up on the weak then waste your strength trying to shield them."

"Hey, that's _not_ true," the dark haired boy protested, but Natsumi rolled her eyes. "How is it not?"

"Guys…," Makoto chimed in, trying to stop a fight before it happened, however neither Daiki nor Natsumi seemed to hear him. "Because," the sculptor explained, an almost childish pout on his features, "If someone you care about needs you, it's best not to give up on them."

"Friends, family, or lovers—it doesn't matter. It's every man for themselves. People who rely on others won't make it on their own in this kind of world—what's _best_ is to accept their weakness and move on, otherwise you're just shortening your own life span by watching out for them."

"Again, that's not true!"

"And _again_ , how is it not?"

Makoto shifted uncomfortably, wondering if perhaps the topic of the fight had changed. It felt like Natsumi was protesting something much more personal now, but Makoto wasn't sure what it could be. Though before he could ask, someone else called out, ending the fight before it could go any further.

"Alright, both of you, enough," Mitsuki scolded, a stern, almost motherly look on her face. "We don't need to be having this argument right now, alright?"

"Y-yeah," Touko stammered, "S-s-save y-your l-lovers quarrel f-for later…!"

"Lovers… quarrel?" Daiki mused quietly, tilting his head in confusion, before deciding it was best to ignore Touko's comment. Natsumi huffed, standing up and storming out of the room, as Daiki frowned, looking guilty. "… She doesn't mean this kind of harsh stuff she says. But… she wants people to believe she means it. I think she worries too, but she doesn't want people to think of her as weak for it."

"Why would people think of her as weak for being concerned for others?" Makoto asked, but Daiki merely shrugged. "I… I mean, it might have something to do with her business? After all… she is a yakuza. She was raised to not worry about others, or to write people off if it seemed like they couldn't survive on their own. That's why she was the one who was asked to take over the syndicate, after all, but…" Daiki trailed off, then gave Makoto a desperate look. "Don't tell her I said this. She doesn't like anyone bringing it up, anyway."

"Alright then, I won't," Makoto said with a nod, before deciding to ask, "but… that seemed to shift in topic completely. After a while, it felt like what she said stopped applying to Haku and Tomoyo… what was that all about?"

"It's… not my story to tell, Makoto," Daiki said apologetically. "Maybe if you two become close, she'll tell you, too? Don't worry, again, she's not as rude as she seems. I think she hides behind her bad attitude for protection, but… she's actually pretty kind when you get to know her. Trust me on that."

"Right…," the brunette boy agreed, and after excusing himself, he got up, walking over to the other resistance members. Leon was sitting with the remaining members of the group that hadn't left to call it a day yet, explaining what their _master plan_ had been to dispose of all the units in a swift move. Aoi listened, an amused smile on her face, as Byakuya merely tuned him out, resting his head back and relaxing slightly—Makoto wouldn't be surprised if everyone was worn out after everything that had happened. Still, as Leon excitedly talked about how the idea had worked, the boy couldn't help but notice that everyone seemed… happier by this victory. Perhaps it helped to know that they had succeeded this time? Makoto smiled—this was what they needed. Surely now they would see that it was still a goal worth fighting for?

"'Ey, Makoto! Mind comin' over here and proving to Hotaru that my throw got 'em all in one go? I mean, c'mon, those bastards went down like dominos!"

Makoto let out an amused giggle as Hotaru puffed out her cheeks, raising a brow. "If Daiki really had put up a tall wall, how could he have seen it to prove your point? Your logic is flawed, Leon."

"He can prove my point because Makoto knows I'm just _that_ good," Leon argued, sticking his tongue out at the blue haired girl. Hotaru rolled her eyes, and as she leaned back in her chair, her hands twitched in her lap, as if holding the doll she didn't currently have was such a natural habit now. But Makoto looked at Leon, a small smile on his lips. "I… honestly couldn't see. But I'm sure you must have—after all, it did sound like they all got knocked over…"

Well, perhaps he was exaggerating, but Leon seemed extremely pleased with the answer. "See, Hotaru? I told you I nailed it!"

"Yeah, yeah, Leon," she huffed, but a small smile was on her lips, almost amused by his enthusiasm. Chihiro spoke up a moment later, raising her hand timidly. "U-um… i-if I can ask…? H-how did you… f-figure out their w-weakness…?"

"Oh," Leon began, shrugging, "yeah, Daiki nearly blew me an' Mitsuki up by knockin' 'em over."

"I-I-It's _M-Mitsuki a-and I_ , y-you u-uneducated pig…!"

"Same difference," the redhead said with a dismissive wave of his hand, but Touko let out an indignant squeak, glaring in frustration. "I-It m-most certainly i-is n-not…!"

"Anyway…," Mitsuki placated softly, "Leon and I had been swarmed, and Daiki knocked them over, to which they all blew up around us. We managed to get a shielding spell up in time, so we're fine, though… however, that's when we figured it out."

"I see…," Kiyotaka confirmed with a nod, before smiling. "I'm glad you two were safe! You have been doing quite well with your spells then, Mitsuki!"

"Yeah…," the burgundy haired girl murmured, before turning to Makoto, "But… from what I heard, it was your idea, right?"

"W-well…"

"It was, and you should have seen it, too! He even got _Kyoko_ of all people to go along with it. Dude, when was the last time anyone convinced her to do anything as risky as being bait for a slim chance of success?"

"W-was it really that risky?" Chihiro squeaked, and Makoto opened his mouth, a sheepish chuckle escaping his lips. "I… think he might be exaggerating a little, but…"

"Well, honestly, I'm just glad it was taken care of so easily," Aoi cut in with a smile. "I mean… it's been so long since we had a mission where the damage was minimal, y'know?"

"Yeah, it really has been a while," Hotaru mused quietly, closing her eyes with a small smile. "… I think we did good."

"Hmph, you say that now," Byakuya scoffed, though despite his bitter comment, Makoto could see the traces of a smirk on the heir's face, as if even he was pleased with the results.

"M-M-Master Byakuya i-is right…! I-I mean, j-just because it seems g-good n-n-now…!"

"No, Touko… I think you're both wrong," Aoi protested. "It seems good now because… because it was! I mean, we did it! Nobody died! The city didn't suffer too much destruction! That's a great result… right, Makoto?"

And as he looked at the swimmer's hopeful gaze, Makoto let out a happy laugh, nodding his head. "Yeah…! You guys did great, we really succeeded this time."

"That's what I tried to tell 'em," Leon said with a triumphant grin. The brunette boy just smiled in reply, looking at Touko. "See…? Touko, we did it. We did something against Junko."

"B-But w-who's to s-s-say this'll e-even m-make a difference…!? Huh?"

"Even so, it's still _something_ against her!" Makoto protested. "I mean… no matter how small, everything we can do to stop her matters. Anything to stop her despair will matter in the long run—don't you see that? Even if it's little by little, every victory matters. Everything we can do to stop her attacks matters. Every bit of hope we can create _matters_."

"Yeah, I'm with Makoto!" Aoi called out with a smile. "Just because this was one attack we stopped, it's still a victory!"

"I have to agree," Mitsuki said with a quiet hum, "… even though it feels almost insignificant now, I'm sure that down the road, it'll all add up."

"Y-yeah…," Chihiro stammered, but a sweet smile curled at her lips. "I… I think we can do it."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, guys," Hotaru cut in, but a moment later, she sighed, a slight grin on her face. "I know it's good to get all excited about our next victory, but… let's just take it one step at a time? We don't know how the rest will play out, but we know that we succeeded this time, so…"

"I don't see an issue with becoming excited about it!" Kiyotaka argued. "In fact, I think believing the rest of your fights will be victories will be good for you! It will help you believe in yourselves, won't it?"

"Eh… I think Kiyo might be right…," Leon shrugged, "I mean, maybe we shouldn't get our hopes up, but… if we won this time, who's to say we won't again? C'mon, Hotaru, don't be such a spoil sport!"

As Hotaru let out an offended squeak, protesting Leon's claim, Makoto couldn't help but smile happily at the change of mood in the group. It… it really worked. They really were starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Somehow, that lifted Makoto's spirits as well.

It had hurt to see them all falling into their own despair, but yet, hearing them now—hearing them try to keep each other hopeful, Makoto couldn't help but feel like there was a chance of defeating Junko once more. As long as the resistance was still resisting, Junko wouldn't get her way. Makoto refused to believe that she would get her way after all of this.

Still… watching them all bounce back from their broken opinions of the world… Makoto felt like he needed to do more. Sure, he had helped to bring them out of their slump, but… he wanted this world to change. He _wanted_ there to be a better future for them. And if that's what he really wanted—he needed to help that happen. He needed to play his part to _make_ that happen.

With that thought, he suddenly stormed off from the group, walking down the halls until he found who he was looking for. "Kyoko…?" Makoto murmured softly, looking down gently at the sleeping girl. She looked… much more peaceful, much kinder than usual. Perhaps it was the relaxed look on her face as she slept? He wasn't sure. After what seemed like a few moments, Makoto watched the girl stir awake slightly, and she opened an eye, looking at the boy. "What is it, Makoto…?"

And despite how he knew what he wanted to say, he still had to brace himself for the words. No—no going back now. He knew what he wanted to do.

"I want to join the resistance."

* * *

 **/promises a chapter last Friday**

 **/gets chapter done before last Friday**

 **/then loses her USB drive with the story on it**

 **/just finds USB drive today**

 **I'm so sorry. ;w;**

 **But, uh... yeah. At least I got the chapter up at all- I was so worried I wouldn't find the dang thing. ono I'm also having the fear that this story is slowly falling apart. Like... I feel like I'm starting to fail with this story. Hopefully I'm not doing too bad, but... if I mess up with something, please tell me. I really want to fix it before I go too far and ruin this story entirely- because I'm starting to get scared that that's what I'm doing. Oh well... we'll see.**

 **Also, headcanon that Touko is part of the grammar police and Natsumi (or, whatever the hell everyone chooses to call Fuyu's sister) in just an asshole in a semi-lovably way. Ha. No, she's probably a serious bitch, but... meh. For the sake of this story, we'll pretend she can be decent.**

 **Also again, Tomoyo is finally explained... yay? I don't even know, honestly.**

 **Also again again, to Sync Ryu, as you were wondering how long the story will be- I... honestly don't know chapter wise how long it will be. I have it all planned and the plot written down, but I haven't broken it into chapters yet- however, my best guess is... likely about 20-30 chapters? I apologize if that isn't very helpful, though. I'll try to sort the plot into chapters and get back to you next time with a more exact idea!**

 **Thanks to Sync Ryu, Luckenhaft, and TriMaplenut for the wonderful reviews, you guys are the best. Everything you have to say always helps, and I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this so far- thanks for the lovely words, they always make me smile!**

 **Anyway, um... hmm. I believe that's all... no, I have this nagging feeling I'm forgetting something, though. If I did, please tell me. ;w; Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this, review if you liked, hated, or had anything you wanted to see- even if you want to tell me what I did wrong, I can't fix what I don't know is broken, so all reviews are welcome! Hope this was good, and c'ya guys next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

About damn time.

The moment she had heard the door open, Junko turned on her heel, her arms crossed and her expression furious. Oh, these bastards were going to get a piece of her mind—she wanted them to know exactly what they did wrong, exactly how they spited their queen, and then, she wanted them to writhe in fear of the consequences. Pieces of shit couldn't even do their jobs right… one small task she had asked of them, and one small _design flaw_ and what could have been beautiful despair to the populace came crumbling down to her instead.

Nagito and Izuru had been sent to get the others after she had received an update from the white haired boy of the attack on Teien—and it was an understatement to say she was _less than thrilled_ about what she heard.

"You wanted to see us, Junko?" Sonia asked, standing poised, despite the venomous look on their leader's face. Junko hissed, glaring daggers at the group as she growled out.

"What the _hell_ was that!?"

"What are you talking about…?" Akane rasped out, raising a brow slightly. "What did we do…?"

"Is this about taking extra time?" Hiyoko whined, "because we—,"

"Not you asses, I'm talking to _you_ ," Junko spat out, glaring down the mechanic, who shrunk under her gaze, but giggled nervously. "W-what did I do…?"

"What kind of _shitty design_ were those Bomber Monokuma? I thought you and Monaca could do better than that! But _no_ , you put a fucking _bomb_ on their backs which got them all destroyed before _they_ could do enough destruction! What the actual fuck, Kazuichi?"

"That's what this is about?" he squeaked, then offered her an unsure smile, though his expression was quite obviously nervous. "They were meant to replicate suicide bombers… Monaca thought it was a good idea."

"Monaca is a fucking ten year old, you think she knows what the hell she's doing? She's a useless kid, for heaven's sake! All she's got is Towa Group going for her, dammit— _you_ ' _re_ the one who's supposed to be designing a worthwhile army for me, _not_ pathetic pieces of scrap that blow themselves up instead of other people! The _hell_ is wrong with you? What kind of design was that!?"

"I-I don't exactly see the problem—,"

"They got knocked over! Blew themselves up! They did barely _anything_ to the city!" Junko shouted, " _Tell me_ how that isn't a _problem_!"

"I'm s-sure they still did something…," Kazuichi protested, but Junko just let out an indignant huff. "Not _enough!_ " she shrieked in response, causing the mechanic to giggle fearfully.

"J-Junko, I—,"

"Eh, whatever… I'm bored of being mad," Junko said suddenly, letting out a soft yawn and cracking her neck. Kazuichi blinked, then straightened himself up, flashing a toothy grin. The blonde just looked at him impassively, before leaning back against the wall, twirling the ends of her hair casually. "It's sad… when I expect a decent job from you sacks of crap. I should have known you're all useless… worthless… pieces of shit. But shame on me, I guess, for believing in you guys… I should have known that your work is always less than satisfactory… my most loyal group is never up to par with their queen's standards… how disgustingly sad."

"H-hey…," Mikan stammered from the crowd, an ecstatic smile on her face. "M-my love… w-what can w-we do to… to make y-you proud…?"

"Huh?" Junko asked curiously, turning to them with an adorable pout, her features confused. "What makes you think you chumps can ever do anything to make me proud…?"

"A-ah…! W-we—,"

"You guys just… don't get it. Do you even try to get it, huh? Do you even try to meet my needs from you anymore? I put my faith in you bastards, and all I ask for is for you guys to do what I ask with success… it isn't too hard, is it? _Is it_? Maybe I'm asking too much of you guys… maybe you aren't as worthy to be my most trusted followers after all. That's fine, too… if you can't follow orders, you don't have to get any… would that be easier? To be like the rest of the despair-infested masses who act like mindless drones with no purpose? Do you guys not want a purpose anymore? At least then you won't have to keep letting me down…"

"N-no… that's not it!" Ibuki protested, "w-we can still do what you want, Junko… we can still do so much more for you! Just watch us!"

"Are you sure…? I think I've seen enough incompetence to know that I made a mistake in trusting you lot…," Junko continued with a tired sigh.

"That's not—," Chiaki began, her face stern, but someone else cut her off, sending the gamer a sideways glare as they spoke.

"They'll try harder," Izuru said with an uninterested frown. "If they want to do even a subpar job… they'll try much harder. Won't you?"

"Oh, of course," Sonia agreed with a pleasant smile, straightening out the blood-crusted hem of her dress. "We'll do whatever it takes for you, Miss Junko."

"S-so please… k-keep trusting us… k-keep giving us your deepest devotion in return for o-our devotion, my love… w-we won't let you down anymore. I promise you…"

"Hmm…. Kazuichi?"

"Yes?" the mechanic mused, looking over at the blonde model. She giggled cutely, tilting her head with a sweet smile at him. "I was thinkin'… the next design for a Monokuma unit. How about… something like a wild animal? Like a beast of nature? Something that's big and heavy enough to pin a person down, but vicious and quick enough to chew out their vocal cords with their first scream? Do you think you can do that, hon?"

Kazuichi shuddered at the thought of the creature, but offered her a crooked grin shortly after, enjoying that he wasn't being given up on. "Of course, Junko… a-anything you need…"

"Great!" she cheered, clapping her hands gleefully. "Don't disappoint me again, then! Consider this a… final chance."

"G-got it…"

"Oh, also? Mahiru…," Junko began. "Think you can take someone with you to go assess the damage to Teien City? I mean… there wasn't nearly enough damage to call it a good mission by what Nagito told me, but I'd still like to see what happened… would you mind taking a few good pictures for me?"

"Not at all, Junko," the redhead agreed with a simple nod, then turned to Gundham, who merely sighed gruffly, but walked over to her to accompany her. Hiyoko huffed, latching onto the photographer's arm with an angered, childish pout. "Hey, no fair, big sis! W-what about—,"

"You took far too long on your last mission, Hiyoko. You're not stalling me on mine. Now let go."

"B-but…," Hiyoko protested, tears beading up in her eyes, despite the small smile on her lips—Mahiru would relent soon enough, she knew she would. After all, Mahiru did care for the other girl, and what would express care better than making her cry—

"No."

"But… y-you always take me with you…"

"I said—,"

"Ugh, enough," Junko growled, curling her lips in disdain. "Mahiru, take Gundham and Hiyoko both with you, and get out of here. Now. I don't want you hear you bitches bicker anymore, you're giving me a headache."

"Will do, my lady," Gundham replied, before ushering the other two females out of the room with him, and shutting the door behind them.

As they left the scene, Junko tilted her head, turning towards the others. "And you guys… you can just go back to whatever you chumps were doing! I don't need anything else from you lot yet."

"We'll be on standby, then, Junko," Nagito said with slight grin on his pale features, as Izuru nudged him, signaling for the boy to stay hushed. Junko just giggled happily, seemingly happy to hear that answer from him, but as they all already knew, Junko wouldn't have accepted any other response.

"I know you'll be… I know."

* * *

Kyoko blinked in surprise, for once almost taken back by the statement. Sure, she would have loved for him to join—she was planning on asking him once they returned if he would stick around on the team. Maybe the boy didn't have magic, but he was the motivation the team needed. The motivation she had been looking for. She just didn't expect him to ask on his own in all honesty—and it surprised her that he had been willing to join without prompting. Kyoko had been pondering what the options would be if he had said no to her offer, so perhaps she was glad that he had brought it up first. This surely did save a lot of trouble.

"I see… why?"

Makoto looked at her with a confused expression, not understanding why she was asking. But after a moment, a determined smile worked its way onto his face, and he nodded firmly, confirming his own thoughts. "I… I want the world to change. I want to be able to go back to when everything was normal—when you could go outside and take a breath of fresh air without worrying about a riot or an attack, o-or when a friend promised to see you later and you knew later would come. But… if that's what I really want to happen, I need to help _make_ that happen. I need to work towards the goal I want, otherwise I might as well not want it. If I want change, I need to make the change happen… that's why."

Kyoko listened to his explanation, looking down at the floor as his words sank in. He truly was an optimistic boy, wasn't he? Wanting back the perfectly happy world they once knew—the world that used to be defined as _normal_. Was it an optimistic thought or foolish one? To think you could have that world back—could it happen, or was he being naïve? No, it didn't matter. If that was the thought that kept him moving towards the future, she would have no qualms about it. If that was what motivated him to keep fighting, she would play along with that thought, too.

"Hm… how very noble of you to think so," she said coolly, finally looking up at him, as their eyes locked for a moment. "Honestly, I would have absolutely no issues with you joining—however, it would be best if you talked about the decision first before you make your final choice. If she chooses not to join, and you do, there might be a few complications."

"Oh…," Makoto murmured sheepishly. "T-that's… a good point." The boy chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, though after a moment he smiled at Kyoko, nodding firmly. "I still… I still want to join, though. No matter what…"

"Still," Kyoko began, "you should ask her what she wants to do. Even if you two do split up, I'm sure you'll want to know what's going to happen with her, won't you?"

"Y-yeah…," the boy confirmed with a nod. "I'll ask her when we get back."

"No, it's fine," Kyoko said briskly, reaching into her jacket pocket to pull out the cellphone. "It's best to get this over and done with quickly."

With that, she tossed him the phone, waiting until he caught it clumsily before she turned on her heel, walking off. "The number to the base is on speed-dial, go to the contacts and look under _Home,_ " she explained, talking just loud enough to be heard over her footsteps echoing on the tiles. She heard Makoto call out from behind her, telling her to wait for a minute, but she didn't stop, instead walking down the halls to find the other members of the resistance.

Makoto blinked, a small frown on his features. Did she even hear him? He had to admit, there wasn't anything entirely important to ask—no, she likely had more important things to do than just stay by his side because Makoto felt more confident next to her. Maybe it was just his nerves—maybe it was just that he wanted another person there for moral support in case the conversation went wrong? In case he upset Komaru with his choice—in case he needed advice? He wasn't sure.

Though it didn't matter much at this point, and as he carefully searched through the contacts on the phone, he found the one labeled as Kyoko had said it would be. As he dialed the number, pressing the phone to his ear, he wondered how he could start off telling Komaru his decision.

" _Hm… Kyoko? What is it now?_ "

"C-Celeste…? Oh, hi, um…"

" _Huh? Makoto? Well… what a nice surprise. And what do I owe the pleasure of this call? Did something happen?_ "

"No, I just… can you put my sister on the line?"

" _Oh, of course_ ," the gambler said sweetly, and Makoto could vaguely hear her call out from the other side of the line to Komaru, telling her it was for her to answer. The brunette boy paused, biting the inside of his cheek—he really hoped she wouldn't be upset about his choice.

" _… M-Makoto!?_ "

The boy couldn't help but smile at the sound of his sister's voice, almost glad to be hearing her speak to him. "Hey, Komaru."

He heard her giggle nervously, before sniffling, as she continued to speak. " _I… I was so worried. Celeste told me that… that you kept your promise, but… it's always nice to make sure of the fact for yourself, y-y'know…?_ "

"Yeah… I know."

Komaru sniffled once again, though despite that, her voice sounded incredibly relieved. " _Did… did you need something when you called?_ "

"Well… I wanted to let you know that I decided on something. Something that's going to affect us for a while…"

" _W-what is it?_ "

"I wanted to join Kyoko's resistance… no. I _am_ joining Kyoko's resistance."

" _M-Makoto!"_ the girl squeaked out, sounding almost fearful. _"That's… you can't! Makoto, what if you get hurt in all of this? What if you_ die _trying to fight against this!? I-I don't want to lose you… please, think this through—_ ,"

"Komaru, I _have_ thought it through… this is something I need to do. I want a better world… I want to go back to how things were before. And I _need_ to fight for that kind of world. If I want this to happen, I need to make it happen. But… I want this for _you_ , Komaru. I don't want to lose you, either! That's why I need to do this—I need to work to make this world safe again so you can be safe, too! Please… I don't need you to agree, I just need you to _understand_ that I need to do this."

The other line was silent for the longest time, and for a moment, Makoto felt scared. Had he made a mistake? Was she mad? No, she was scared, too—scared for him and his decision. He didn't want to scare her—but he felt he needed to fight for this normal life that he wanted for everyone he cared about. After all, what was the purpose of yearning for a goal if you're not willing to fight for it? And after all this time, the people he loved were what kept him fighting. Because of that, he wanted to do this.

For her sake, he needed to do this.

"… _Count me in, then._ "

"Eh? K-Komaru…"

" _If you're going to be fighting to keep me safe, then… then I want to fight to keep you safe. It's only fair, Makoto… isn't it?_ "

"I guess so…," the boy murmured, pressing the phone closer to his ear, his hands almost shaking. No… what if something happened to her? What if she got hurt in a riot? He couldn't let her do this. He—

" _You're… you're panicking, aren't you? About… about what might happen to me if I do this? Well, that's exactly how I'm panicking for you doing this, too! So… let's just stick together in all of this mess. I'll watch out for you if… if you watch out for me, okay? That way, we can protect each other… and we can still get the normal life we want at the end of all this. Okay…?_ "

"Komaru… you…," Makoto started, but then sniffled, a silent laugh escaping his lips. Relief bubbled out from his lips, though at the same time fear tangled in with his thoughts. "We'll… stick together. We'll keep each other safe, then… we'll improve the world for each other."

" _Yeah… yeah, we— … S-Sayaka wants the line really quick… um… I'll see you when you get back tomorrow…_ promise _me you'll see me when you get back_."

"I swear to you, Komaru. I'll see you when I get back tomorrow."

" _Okay… I love you, Makoto. See you soon._ "

The boy smiled, wiping his eyes with his sleeve, and as the sound of shuffling subsided, he heard Sayaka's voice on the other side of the call, her tone somewhat warm.

" _So… joining the resistance, huh?_ "

"Yeah… I am. Komaru is too."

" _So I heard… she seems really determined to help you. In that case, I want to help, too._ "

"Sayaka, you too?"

" _It's only natural… you two have fought with everything you have to keep me smiling. Especially you, Makoto, you've always been there to support me. So… if this is what you want to do, I want to support you every step of the way, too. I owe it to you after all of this, so… so think of me as your sidekick!_ "

Makoto chuckled, nodding, and although he knew she couldn't see it, Sayaka giggled, almost knowing that he was, anyway. "Thank you, Sayaka… we can do this together. I know we can."

" _I know it too, Makoto… and thank you so much._ "

"F-for what?"

" _… Never giving up on any of this… for always keeping us hopeful. That's what_."

"S-Saya…"

" _Well, I really don't want to hold you up too long, but… please take care of yourself, Makoto. And the others too! Tell them we said hi, as well!_ "

Makoto giggled silently, a smile on his lips. "Will do… take care, guys. I'll see you tomorrow."

" _See you tomorrow, Makoto._ "

From the background of the call, he could hear Komaru call out one final goodbye, before Makoto smiled, pulling the phone away and hanging up. He stared at the phone briefly, recalling everything that had been said in the call. So… this was it. He was on the team now—and his sister and best friend were joining, too. He would have a chance to work towards a better future alongside the people who cared for the most.

A thankful chuckle escaped him, and in that moment he felt like things really would be just fine.

Clutching the cellphone in his hands, he began making his way back where everyone else was—where they were talking with each other, sharing laughs and brief quarrels. Makoto looked around, raising a brow when he couldn't find the detective anywhere in the room. "Hey…," he asked, "where's Kyoko?"

"Eh? Oh… she said she went outside for a walk," Aoi replied, tilting her head at Makoto curiously. "Why?"

"Oh! Just need to return this to her, that's all," Makoto explained, raising the hand that was holding the phone to show them. Hotaru cleared her throat, nodding towards the door. "She might be heading towards the fountain… I know she likes how calm it is. You might catch her there, but if not, just wait for her here."

"Right… I'll go check for her. I think I could use some fresh air, too," Makoto said with a smile, excusing himself as he opened the door, walking out of the base to look for Kyoko.

Though he didn't exactly know much about the city, he knew he had passed by the fountain on his run through while getting chased by the Monokuma units, and as he looked around, he eventually found what he was looking for.

Though there was a building destroyed by the blasts from before just to the left of the fountain, Kyoko sat on the ledge, staring at the water as it fell down and pooled into the tiers, spilling out of the sides in an almost soothing display. The gentle sound of the pouring water seemed to be the only sound around—a complete change from how it was earlier today. As Makoto approached, he could hear his footsteps echoing, and he knew that Kyoko could hear him as well. Though if she did, she didn't turn around, instead calling out, "What do you need, Makoto?"

"Eh? H-how did you know it was…?"

"I just had a feeling it was. You seemed like the most likely person to come seeking me out, after all…," she murmured, turning to face him. "I take it you're here to return the phone?"

"Yeah…," the boy replied with a nod, extending his hand once he was close enough. Kyoko gently took the phone back, her leather gloves brushing against his fingertips—and for a moment, Makoto nearly forgot what he wanted to say.

"… We're joining, by the way."

Kyoko blinked, a bit taken back—why was it Makoto could always do this to her lately? "… We?"

"Yeah… Komaru and Sayaka want to join as well. So… the three of us… is that okay?"

"That's more than okay, Makoto," she said calmly. Makoto blinked, then beamed at her, and it took Kyoko a moment to realize she was smiling brightly at him. Almost too quickly, the smile dropped from her face, and she merely nodded her head. "I'm glad you three will be joining… it will make things easier."

No, no, that was the wrong thing to say to him—

Makoto just let out a happy laugh, causing Kyoko to raise a brow. "I'm glad we can help, then… that's what we want to do," the brunette boy clarified, smiling cheerfully. Kyoko paused, then nodded, replying with, "I see… that's good."

The two were silent for a moment, Kyoko staring at the grass around the fountain as Makoto would glance at her every so often.

"… Hey, Kyoko?"

"Yes?"

"… You should smile like you did more often. Your smile is… honestly really nice."

An amused hum escaped Kyoko's lips, though she turned her head back towards the fountain with an impassive expression—if only to prevent him from seeing the tint of pink that the compliment had left on her cheeks.

* * *

Mahiru had to admit, she usually loved hearing the sound of a camera's shutter clicking. Seeing the brief glimpse of a flash as the picture was taken… it was all nostalgic to her. But with this camera that Junko liked her to use, there was none of that.

No flash a person might see that could lead to being found.

No clicking of a shutter that someone could hear, that would alert them of being watched. Of being targeted.

And though Mahiru loved those sounds with all her heart, she would be more than willing to give them up, if only for Junko.

No… _only_ for Junko.

She looked around huffing to herself—Kazuichi's design for the Bomber Monokuma really had been a bust, hadn't it? There wasn't much to take pictures of—a few burnt trees in the local garden, a few buildings reduced to rubble. No bodies—no innocent people laying as horribly disfigured corpses on the ground for their loved ones to find… Junko would really be angry with this.

That would just mean they would have to step up their game. They would have to work harder to please her… they had to work harder.

Mahiru gently pinched her wrist, drawing herself out of her thoughts to get back to the task at hand. Looking around, she snapped three more pictures, before deciding there wasn't enough of anything else to photograph.

"Is that it?" Gundham asked as the redhead turned to face them, and Mahiru nodded in response. "Yeah… his design didn't do nearly enough to the city. There's not much to take pictures of after all…"

As Mahiru went to put her camera back in the bag, Hiyoko shot her hand out, grabbing her wrist before she could. "I want to see, big sis…," she said softly. "I like your work… I want to see it."

"Fine… make it quick," Mahiru relented, knowing she would likely give in to Hiyoko eventually, anyway.

The blonde girl giggled happily, emitting a childish _yay_ before taking the camera from Mahiru's hands and browsing through the pictures.

"Man… this attack really was shit? Look at this! Nobody's dead. Most of the buildings are still standing… not even a forest fire or anything. This is stupid…," the girl berated, clicking the arrows on the digital camera to see all of the pictures.

"Well, as Nagito had said, the attack didn't last very long… they weren't made to last long enough to do successful damage," Gundham said gruffly. "A fateful mistake on that foolish mortal's part… how pitiful. He must have the devil's luck if our lady didn't stay furious for long—,"

"Hey, hold the fuck up," Hiyoko snapped suddenly, staring at one photo in particular. Mahiru leaned over to look, before shrugging. "Geez… that one? That's nothing special… the building was reduced to rubble but the fountain not even _ten feet_ away from it is still standing fine."

"Not _that_ , big sis. The two people in the picture…," Hiyoko corrected, narrowing her eyes as she stared down the brunette boy, sitting on the ledge of the fountain next to a girl in purple.

"… That's him! He's the little brat I dropped out the window on our last mission!"

"I beg your pardon…?"

"When the three of us stopped in that last city on the way back—we went into this one house with two adults, three kids… the kids got away—and he was climbing down this rope of _sheets_ of all things when I untied it and dropped him… I'm honestly pretty damn shocked he survived the fall. Lucky bastard."

"What is he doing in Teien, though…?" Mahiru mused, tilting her head, but Gundham just heaved out a sigh, settling a stern glare at the two.

"It matters not. One lone, mortal boy holds no significance to our mission… just forget him. He doesn't matter."

Hiyoko pouted a bit, putting her hands on her hips. "Hey! Who are you to tell me what to do? What if Junko wants to know? Huh? _She's_ the one to give the orders, not you, you ridiculous—,"

"I'm telling you," Gundham spat back, "one little escapee won't be worth her time. This mission was already a failure, don't make it worse and make our lady angry with worthless news."

Mahiru groaned, pressing her fingers to her temples as she cut in a moment later. "Enough. Hiyoko, go ahead and mention it to Junko… if she cares, she cares. If she doesn't, she doesn't. It's _that_ simple."

"Hmph, fine," Hiyoko said, handing Mahiru back the camera. The redhead took it from her, shoving it into her camera bag, and once she was packed up, Gundham began to walk off, back to their city.

"Let's go… it's best not to keep her waiting again."

* * *

 **Apparently, the friend who I had spell check this? She had forgotten Mahiru was even a character until she saw her mentioned here... C':**

 **Eh, anyway...**

 **Also, I tried for a little bit more Naegiri in here. ;A; Does it show? Hopefully... I mean, this isn't a romance-based story, so the pairing is not the main focus here, however... the Naegiri moments will be slow to build, but they will be there. I promise. QwQ**

 **Oh and on the topic of pairings sorta kinda, guess what tomorrow is? Yup. Valentine's Day. Personally, I'm single, so I just like spending the day writing oneshots of my OTPs in different fandoms. Is that weird? Hope not. But my friend did request that I ask in honor of Valentine's Day tomorrow- are they any ships or pairings you guys have in this story itself? Not that it really matters, though. Pairings don't make or break this story, after all, it's just for fun to see what different people interpret out of interactions. X'P So... yeah, share if you do, I suppose!**

 **Alrighty, BACK to the actual topic at hand here...** **yay for more chapters? Eh... up to you guys whether it's "yay" or not. Honestly, this chapter was kind of fun, and I'm looking forward to writing where the story goes from here... so Makoto is on the team, so are Komaru and Sayaka, and Junko's gonna find out 'bout Makoto soon. Let's see how things unfold from here...**

 **Also, big thanks to TriMaplenut and Sync Ryu for the reviews! You guys just make my day every time I see them- doesn't matter how many times I read it, they always put a smile on my face. Thanks so much, guys! X3**

 **So, hopefully this chapter was good for you guys- review if you liked it, or if you didn't, or if you have anything to say at all! I'd appreciate any feedback, positive or negative, so don't be afraid to say anything. Anyway, hope you all liked it, and c'ya next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

Makoto woke up with a slight snort, vaguely aware of someone shaking his shoulder, and a gentle voice murmuring something to him. He whined quietly, trying to swat at the hand, but the gestures never relented, and with a groan, Makoto realized he wouldn't be catching anymore sleep. Not that he really could sleep in this condition, anyway. The office floor wasn't the most comfortable surface he'd ever slept on—and his slumber up until now was frankly _terrible_. Still, he supposed, he had been deep enough asleep to dream, so it couldn't have been too bad in reality, no matter how uncomfortable he had been. His back ached and his vision was a bit blurry, as he raised his balled up hand to wipe the sleep from his eyes. Despite the glare of the fluorescent ceiling lights and the lingering haziness caused by exhaustion, he could just barely make out a thin, feminine face, framed by long, pale hair, and he croaked out softly, thinking he was still seeing things from in his prior dream. "K-Kyoko…?"

"… Try again, Makoto," the girl said, sounding almost amused, and as the brunette boy's vision focused, he realized the hair that dusted across his face from the female leaning over him was much more powder blue than lavender. Slowly, he locked his gaze with Hotaru, who just looked at him with a slight smile. "Though, she did send me to wake you up."

"H-huh…?"

"It's time to go now," the seamstress clarified, shifting back so she no longer loomed over him, and instead was kneeling, waiting for him to move.

Makoto nodded stiffly, sitting up and stretching his arms. With a quick glance around him, he noticed that the other members of the team were already gone—and aside from he and Hotaru, the room was completely empty.

"Where is…?"

"Everyone is already up and ready," Hotaru replied, standing up and reaching a hand out, offering him assistance. The boy groggily clasped her hand, letting her help pull him to his feet, as she continued her explanation. "Kyoko was planning on waiting until you woke up to head out, but it's already about noon, so she decided we needed to get you up ourselves."

"N-noon…?" Makoto rasped out, looking at her with a surprised glance. Hotaru offered him a sheepish smile in return, nodding. "Yeah, you… didn't seem to sleep well last night. I guess she was concerned about you being exhausted… or, too exhausted to defend yourself should we get in trouble on the way back… I don't know, though—it's really hard to figure out her motives for things."

Makoto just nodded quietly, rubbing his eyes once more as the blue haired girl began to leave. "So, time to get up and get ready. We're leaving as quickly as we can, so try not to dawdle."

Before she disappeared down the hall, she paused, then turned back to face him with an unsure expression on her features. "… Hey, by the way? When you went to find her yesterday, to return the phone… what did you say to her?"

"E-eh…?" the boy murmured, tilting his head as his arm dropped back to his side. "What do you mean?"

"… When you went to find Kyoko, she seemed almost… _happy_ when you two got back."

"She did…?" Makoto asked, not entirely understanding the point the seamstress was making. Hotaru opened her mouth to try and explain, but just closed it, shaking her head lightly and shrugging. "Never mind. You haven't known her long enough to notice, but… ever since you got here, she's been…," the girl trailed off with a breathy chuckle, before excusing herself and walking back downs the halls. Makoto watched her disappear, contemplating her words. Happy? What was that supposed to mean… sure, even when he met Kyoko, she hadn't seemed like the most bubbly person—she still didn't, in any way—but Makoto never thought of the lavender haired detective as unhappy or anything of the sort. Mysterious, maybe—and perhaps a bit straight-forward, but he always assumed from what he saw of Kyoko that she was rather kind. She wasn't open, but he never assumed her as someone entirely secretive, either.

Was this apparent change something his arrival caused…?

No, it couldn't be. There must have been another reason behind Hotaru's claim. Makoto shook his head, and after stretching his legs a bit, he walked down the halls, going to meet the others in the main room of the office.

* * *

"Hey… try and stay safe, alright?" Daiki said softly, looking at Makoto. The brunette boy looked over at the earth elemental, and nodded, a smile on his face. "You guys stay safe as well," he replied, extending his hand to the sculptor. Daiki returned the smile, shaking the boy's hand firmly, a quiet laugh escaping his lips. "It was nice meeting you, Makoto… good luck from now on."

"Thanks. We appreciate that," the brunette replied with a chuckle, before he glanced over at Natsumi, who was leaning against the ruined wall of some old building—Makoto couldn't even begin to guess what it could have once been through all of the damage to it. But as the blonde girl stared out into the distance, past the edge of Teien City where they currently stood, the boy couldn't help but wonder what was on her mind right now.

"… Natsumi?"

"Eh?" the girl grumbled, turning to him with an almost sour look on her face—but by Daiki's tiny, soft smile aimed at the girl, Makoto assumed that perhaps she wasn't actually all that angry. "Hey, uh… take care of yourself," Makoto said, shifting awkwardly on his feet, unsure if his statement of concern would be well received.

"… You too, kid. Try not to get killed," she murmured, the frown briefly falling off of her expression—just long enough to make her look… sweet. Sincere, maybe? Makoto didn't have enough time to really think about it, because moments later she heaved out a gruff sigh, and the scowl was back on her features.

"I'll try my best," Makoto replied with a grin, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "It was good to meet you, Natsumi."

"Whatever. Shouldn't you get going now?"

Makoto opened his mouth, trying to think of a response, but nothing came to mind to say in reply to her. What could he say? She obviously seemed irritated by his presence, and it was likely that the best reaction would be to leave her alone before her temper _really_ shone through—but he recalled that look on her face just a few moment prior when she wished him safety, and Daiki's words that claimed she was rather kind deep down, and Makoto wished he knew what to say to bring that out just once.

Though before he could ponder on the thought much more, he heard Kyoko call his name—turning his head towards the sound, he watched her gesture for him to follow them now and leave Teien City.

Makoto just nodded to her, looking back one last time at the two former resistance members with a smile. "… It was great to meet you two. I'd love to see you guys again—on better reasons next time."

With a nod from Daiki, and a gruff sigh from the other—yet Makoto could spot the faint traces of a smirk on Natsumi's face—the brunette boy waved his final farewell to them and ran up to Kyoko as the group began to depart.

"So…," Aoi began after a while, slowing down her pace until she was next to Makoto as they walked. "Kyoko said you're on the team now?"

He looked over at the swimmer girl with a smile, nodding once. "Yeah… I joined. So did Komaru and Sayaka."

"Eh? They're with us too, now?"

"Well, yeah," Makoto replied, looking in front of him towards Leon, who turned on his heel to walk backwards and face Makoto as he did. "I talked to them about it yesterday."

"When did you see them yesterday to ask?" the redhead asked quizzically, raising a brow. But Makoto just smiled, looking at Kyoko. "She let me borrow her phone to call them," he explained, and although the lavender haired girl made no sound of response, one firm nod was all she offered for clarification to Makoto's claim. Leon grumbled a bit, seemingly upset by not remembering that Makoto had the phone at the time, but he said nothing as he spun around to face forward again.

"That explains why you had it at all yesterday…," Haku mused tiredly, his hands in his pockets as he kept walking, not sparing a glance towards anyone. His tone however seemed bitter, and Makoto wondered if it had to do with the fact that Tomoyo was still missing, before deciding it would be best not to say anything about that subject yet. Instead, Makoto returned his gaze to the leader of the resistance, and with a few quickened strides, he was next to her. "So… what happens now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well… it's just that—we stopped the attack in Teien, and now that's over. So… what do we do next? Do we just stop attacks and riots before they get too bad…? How does this whole thing work?"

"… Perhaps that should have been a question you asked before you joined?" Kyoko questioned, but Makoto quickly shook his head with a nervous chuckle, waving his hands in front of him.

"I-I really wanted to help either way, no matter what! I-I just… wanted to know _how_ we're helping is all…"

"Well, for now, we try to keep an eye on any attacks and prevent them from wreaking too much havoc. Sadly, we didn't get a warning on this attack, but usually we go in to evacuate the city and stop the attacks before they happen at all," Kyoko explained, offering him a brief glance out of the corner of her eye.

"Eh? … Warning?"

"… Well, he is a member now. He might as well meet her," Hotaru chimed in, looking next to her at Kyoko, who merely nodded.

"It would be good to check in with Sakura, anyway!" Aoi chirped, a smile on her face. "I really want to know that she's okay!"

"I-I'm s-s-sure she's f-fine... a-after all, H-Hifumi h-hasn't g-given us a c-c-call about d-danger...," Touko hissed, wringing her hands almost anxiously, as if she herself didn't even believe her own words.

"And if something happened to Hifumi as well?" Byakuya replied with a huff, but Chihiro shook her head, her voice soft as she spoke, as if she was afraid to counter his claim.

"E-even if something happened... I-I'm sure any of the other three would have called us to tell us... b-besides... Sakura can handle her own, can't she?"

"I mean, she is a huge fuckin' mass of pure muscle," Leon retorted, "I don't think anything is getting the drop on her, not unless they know she's there."

"Um... forgive me for asking, but...," Makoto chimed in, catching the attention of the chattering resistance member. "Who's Sakura?"

"She's a member of our resistance, and a valued one at that... though her magic ability is rare, so she resides somewhere else, somewhere other than our base. Somewhere safer...," Kyoko explained, briefly glancing at Makoto as she spoke. The brunette boy nodded, then tilted his head. "Right, and... Hifumi?"

"He's a... _friend_ of Celeste's," Hotaru said simply, but Makoto could catch the slightly sour look of _jealousy_ on her face as she made the claim. "He owns a manga shop in Buji City. Celeste managed to talk him into letting Sakura live in the upstairs room of his shop, so she's hidden from Junko. It would be bad if she were to be found..."

"Does... she really need to be hidden?"

"Considering the magic she has? Yeah," Haku said with a small frown. "Not only is it the most rare skill to born with, but she's the only one on our team to have that ability... and it's the biggest help we have in stopping Junko. Hifumi is literally saving everyone's asses by letting Sakura stay with him where she's safer."

"Wow...," Makoto murmured.

"Don't even _ask_ how Celeste managed to convince him to do that, though," Leon said with a lazy shrug. "He was freaking out about the thought, but then she asked and he was more than happy..."

"He sounds like a good friend, then," the brunette boy replied with a smile, but Leon just let out an snort of laughter, continuing his claim.

"Or just insanely and blindly devoted to her... seriously, I'm willing to bet that fatass would kill a man for her."

Makoto let out a nervous chuckle at Leon's claim—though he wasn't reassured in the slightest by the unfaltering look on the baseball player's face when he spoke. Makoto glanced away for a bit, his gaze wandering over to the lavender haired female who walked silently beside him. Makoto tried to match her strides as he asked a question, offering her a smile as his words left his lips. "So... about Sakura—,"

"You can come with me to meet her if you want," Kyoko interjected, and Makoto blinked, chewing on his lip in thought. "How did you know...?"

"It just seemed likely that's what you wanted, that's all," Kyoko said simply, not sparing him any more of an explanation than that. Makoto nodded briefly, noting how she hadn't even glanced at him yet in their brief conversation. He wondered if Kyoko was always closed off in this way to people, before assuming she likely was—if what Hotaru told him that morning was true, then it would make sense. Still... she did say that he made Kyoko seem almost happy as well.

Was that also true, too?

But with another glance at the female, who didn't say another word to him, her pace quickening to take the lead in front of the group again, Makoto denied that possibility. It wasn't likely that Kyoko had taken to enjoying his company. It just wasn't likely yet that a girl so reserved could warm up to a boy like him so quickly.

Oh well, he had time to work on that.

The rest of the walk was somewhat quiet, but not exactly uncomfortable—each member still in better spirits from their victory in Teien. Makoto found himself thinking about Komaru and Sayaka back at the base. He couldn't wait to see them again. It had only been a day, but it still hurt to be away from them for that long. He found that after the adrenaline from the moment wore off, he found his unease and fear returning to him, eating away at his concerns for if they were okay. He knew it might have been silly to think—he had spoken to them just yesterday, and they were alright— but as he had come to know, in this world, any tragedies could happen in the blink of an eye. Just because they were fine yesterday didn't mean anything for today.

So when they approached the base, and he heard his sister's teary cry of his name, he felt relieved that he still had the people he cared for with him.

He stumbled back slightly when Komaru launched herself at him, clinging to his torso as she hid her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her securely, gently rubbing her back to try and soothe her. "H-Hey... Komaru, it's okay. See? We made it back alright... y-you don't have to cry, okay?"

"You're back... I'm so happy...," Komaru sniffled, clinging to his shirt, as Makoto just kept her in his embrace, a small, reassuring smile on his features. "I made a promise, didn't I?"

"I-I know, but... I'm scared. I didn't want to lose you too..."

Makoto took a moment to process her words—it was a little difficult to make out what she said when her face was buried in his chest, but he knew very clearly what she meant. "Hey... we don't know what happened to them. But I'm still here, okay? It's okay..."

Komaru nodded quietly, sniffling once as she let go of Makoto, moving back to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. "How... did it go?" she asked softly. Her older brother smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "It went well, I think," he explained. "Nobody got hurt, and the destruction was minimal. All in all, I think we did good."

Komaru let out an unsure giggle, but a sweet smile worked its way on her face, and the boy knew that she would be alright. "What about for you guys?"

His little sister's eyes lit up, as she began to explain her time at the base. "It was actually okay, surprisingly. I got my fortune told by Yasuhiro, and you wouldn't believe what he said. He said that I would wind up saving someone's life soon. Does that sound like it could happen? I'm not sure how an ordinary girl like me could do something like that, but... wouldn't that be amazing?"

Makoto smiled brightly, listening to his sister chatter on about Yasuhiro's psychic readings, and how he taught her to make a potion—or at least, attempted to. Komaru sheepishly explained how she couldn't understand it, and how she almost made the mistake of mixing the wrong ingredient, but Makoto just smiled, saying it probably took a lot of practice to get it right, so not to worry.

He really didn't want her to worry.

"And then Celeste taught me how to play basic poker. We didn't bet money this time, but she said if I ever played a real game with her, we would. For now, she's just teaching me, though. It was fun. I mean, I lost miserably, but it was still a lot of fun to learn!"

"I'm glad to hear," Makoto smiled, feeling more at ease now that his sister seemed her usual peppy self. It was nice to see her still so happy—all he really wanted right now was to see the people he loved happy.

Speaking of which...

Makoto looked around, scanning the area carefully before looking back to his sister. "Where's Sayaka?"

"She and Aiko have been talking for a while. She's probably still inside," Komaru clarified, looking at Makoto with a small, unsure smile in return. "Do you...?"

"Yeah... it'd be nice to see her again," Makoto said with a nod, as Komaru lead him back inside the base, a small smile taking over her features as the two siblings seemed to ease quickly back into their optimistic selves. As they entered the building, the others soon followed at their own pace, waiting until their reunions were settled before they went in, until just Kyoko remained outside.

The lavender haired girl stared at where Makoto and Komaru had stood, her mind working. That boy was quite the positive influence, and she knew they could use that. Yes, they could most certainly use that.

With a quiet hum, she only waited for a moment more to look around the area cautiously, before slipping inside without a word spoken.

* * *

"So... this is the boy Hiyoko was talking about, huh?"

Mukuro glanced at over at Junko, who gazed tiredly at the picture in her hands. "So it seems," the soldier girl replied simply, tilting her head to get a better look. The boy sure was plain—rather unremarkable and ordinary. He appeared to be like any average high school boy—but Mukuro knew better than to assume based purely on appearance. Perhaps he was a threat—a wolf in sheep's clothing of sorts—but she did know better than to state her opinion to her younger sister. It wasn't needed. Junko never needed her input.

"Do we know who he is?"

"They don't know his name, or who he is, at least that;s what Hiyoko told me. She just explained that he had been in the attack and escaped with two others."

"And those two others are... where?"

"They're not here in any of the pictures, obviously. Perhaps it could have something to do with the fact that he's with Kyoko?" Mukuro offered.

"I wonder...," Junko mused, gazing at the photo of the brunette boy, who sat beside the girl with lavender hair. "I mean, if he were to be with Kyoko to join her little group, it wouldn't be a stretch. After all, it's not like he has much to go back to, hm?"

"That's... true," Mukuro agreed with a nod, glancing at her sister. "What do you propose we do?"

"Well, there's a lot of options. We could lure him out and kill him in a lot of different ways, we could try to get a new lackey out of him, or we could just ignore one measly little boy. What do you think, Mukuro?"

"I'm... not sure," the older twin confessed, before internally scolding herself. Oh, no, that wasn't a good answer. Junko wouldn't be happy with that answer—

"Oooof course you're not sure," Junko spat, sending her older sister an icy glare. Mukuro didn't flinch—but the look she received crushed her, knowing that she couldn't do anything to stop disappointing her sister.

"Do you think he's a threat, then?" the older twin asked.

"Eh, could a little boy like him be? Even if he joined her shitty resistance, what could one more person do?" Junko inquired with a tired sigh. "I mean, they haven't done anything to really set us back in a long time, so what does it matter?"

"I suppose he's not to be of our concern, then?"

"And what if he winds up being my downfall?" Junko asked with a laugh. "Wouldn't that be hilarious? If we brush off this little brat and then he winds up ruining everything we've worked for? I mean, they finally managed to stop an attack before anything terrible happened, and this boy is brand new there for it. Don't you think that means something?"

"... Perhaps. However... could one kid really be that big of a deal? Realistically speaking, it's—,"

"I didn't ask for you to explain, I asked for a yes or no answer, Mukuro. Dammit, why can't you do anything right?"

"I'm... sorry."

Mukuro felt like she had been kicked.

"Honestly though, I don't know, alright?" the blonde girl snapped, letting out an exasperated huff. "I don't know what this new little potential addition to her little club of misfits means. But I don't want to take any risks, y'know?"

Mukuro nodded, not uttering a word in response—she didn't need to speak. Junko just wanted her to agree. She didn't want to be a disappointing girl, even if it seemed anything she did made her just that.

Why was it so hard to please her sister? Why was this the one mission she couldn't accomplish?

"Well, anyway," Junko sighed, handing the picture to Mukuro. "You know what to do."

"Do you want me to disguise his death?" the dark haired girl asked, but Junko just groaned, turning to her sister. "No. I don't want him dead... I want to see how this plays out."

"You... do?"

"Who knows? This could be kind of fun. Besides, I'm bored. A little excitement would do me good, wouldn't it?"

"I see," Mukuro murmured, nodding once. "I'll start tailing him tomorrow, then."

"Good," Junko chirped with a smile, offering the soldier an almost genuine look of glee. "I knew I could count on you!"

No matter how much Mukuro's voice of reason, the little nagging voice in the back of her head, told her that Junko didn't mean what she said, she felt her spirits lift a little anyway. Even if the more logical side of her said that it wasn't sincere, she didn't care. She wouldn't doubt her little sister like that—especially not when every part of her just wanted to believe that her sister did see value in her. That she did care.

Mukuro would do anything to earn Junko's affections, even if it meant scouting out this seemingly useless boy.

* * *

 **First thing I'm gonna say is-**

 **I'm so sorry.**

 **This took much longer to get out than I expected. Really, I never thought I'd fall this far behind. I'm so sorry for that. But life was hectic, and I needed time. But I'm back now! However, admittedly, the next chapter might be a bit longer than a week. I have a faire that I'm working at for the next few weekends, so it takes a while out of my time available to write.**

 **Still, it'll be done soon. I won't take another three months, I promise.**

 **Anyway, thank you to Sync Ryu, Luckenhaft, and the two Guests (I wish I knew who you guys where, but I appreciate your commentary nonetheless!) for the lovely reviews, and I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter. Again, I'm sorry it took so long, and I really hope no one had abandoned ship with this.**

 **Well, that's all I can think of to say for now. Hope you guys enjoy!**


	10. Chapter 10

"Are you ready?" Kyoko asked, looking over at the brunette boy, who rubbed his eyes in an attempt to get rid of any lingering sleepiness from his previous rest. "Yeah, just about," he replied with a nod, smiling slightly. The lavender haired girl gave him a firm nod in return, adjusting the collar of her jacket. The other resistance members were still asleep from the night—Kyoko had insisted on getting up early before many people were outside, to make sure that nobody was in Hifumi's shop when they arrived. Though Makoto honestly wished he could have slept in, he was looking forward to meeting this Sakura person, and he did understand the importance of arriving by themselves.

"Shall we, then?"

Makoto let out a sound of agreement, walking up to Kyoko as she led him to the door. The detective barely had a moment to grab the doorknob before a hushed voice rasped out a desperate, "Makoto...!"

Recognizing the voice without a doubt, he turned towards the bottom of the stairs, looking at his sister. "Eh? Komaru?"

"Where are you going?" she asked, her voice a bit louder than a whisper. Makoto glanced at Kyoko, as if asking for silent permission to tell the younger girl about their trip, to which Kyoko just gave him a single nod. "... We're going to see Sakura."

"Who?" Komaru mused, walking over to them.

"She's a member of our resistance. She doesn't stay at the base, however, for both her own safety, and to not disrupt to boundaries," Kyoko explained simply.

"So... you're leaving again?"

The worried look on Komaru's face made Makoto feel guilty—in a way, he supposed he was leaving her again, not to mention he clearly hadn't told her yet. It wasn't that he didn't intend to inform her, he simply forgot in his relief of reuniting the day before.

"W-well...," Makoto murmured, an uneasy look on his face.

"... Fine then. But I'm coming this time," Komaru decided, to the surprise of her brother. "Really?" he inquired, a small bit of worry sinking in. If she came with them, would she be alright? Would something happen that she could get hurt from? The thought of losing his sister made him feel sick for a moment.

"Absolutely not," Kyoko replied, turning to Komaru with an impassive expression. "I understand your concern for your brother's wellbeing, however it's not worth risking your safety."

"And what, risking his is worth it?" Komaru protested.

"That's not what I said," Kyoko countered sharply, her brows twitching for a moment as a frown appeared on her features—and Makoto was sure that was as close to her flinching as he would see.

"Why can't I come along, then?"

"Because bringing one inexperienced member is a risk on its own. Two is a bit too risky to be preferable," the lavender haired girl explained.

"I... I won't take no for an answer," Komaru said with a serious look on her face—appearing more determined than Makoto had ever seen his sister before. "I'm coming with you two, even if I have to follow you both..."

Kyoko was silent for a moment, staring down Komaru—who although she initially flinched from it, still stood her ground. "... Fine," Kyoko relented, "you can come with us. Just be careful, please."

Komaru nodded, smiling softly, as she glanced at her older brother. Makoto let out a silent chuckle—he couldn't deny that he was quite impressed by how she had convinced the older girl to let her join in. Kyoko made no reply to them at first, staring between the two for a moment before simply heading towards the door.

"Let's go, you two. We need to be quick," the detective instructed, opening the door to walk out, the other two following close behind her.

Makoto stared out into the distance as they walked, watching the sunrise as it climbed up to its rightful place in the sky. He had to admit, he hadn't seen a sunrise in quite a while—it was nice to experience one yet again. The colors wisped across the sky, blending seamlessly into each other, and for a moment, the brunette boy felt peaceful.

Komaru must have been watching too, for when he turned to his younger sister, her eyes were lit up in joy, a smile on her face. The boy chuckled softly, turning to Kyoko—though the stoic girl didn't seem to be sharing the same lovely scene as they were.

Briefly, Makoto gazed at her as she led them forward to Buji City, and he wondered for a moment if she just had been too focused on leading them that she didn't seem to notice. Sure, the notion was a bit silly, yet he couldn't help but wonder why she wasn't enjoying the little things as well.

"Hey... Kyoko?"

"Hm?" the lavender haired girl answered, not turning to look at him.

"You, um... did you see the sunrise yet?" Makoto asked sheepishly.

Kyoko was silent, then nodded simply, replying with, "Yes, I did. Why?"

The brunette blinked, before frowning, realizing that she merely didn't care for such sights at this point.

"Oh... I was just wondering," he replied. "It looks pretty though, doesn't it?"

"... I suppose."

It didn't take Makoto long to realize that small talk wouldn't go well. It was the first time in a while he had gotten to have a conversation with Kyoko, and he was figuring out that most subjects seemed to end rather quickly. It was a bit upsetting as well, he would have liked to have a nice talk with her, to get to know her better—he really did want to get a better understanding of the serious girl. Perhaps it was best to just get to the point of his curiosities? He wasn't sure, but he knew he wouldn't get anywhere with her by initiating simple conversations.

"... Can I ask you something?"

"Why not," Kyoko mused. "What is it?"

"Why did you start the resistance?"

Kyoko's pace never slowed, but she remained silent for a few beats, as if considering his question. "... Because Junko has to be stopped, doesn't she?"

Makoto nodded, understanding what she said. But still...

"Yeah, but... why _you_?" he asked, trying to specify his question

"What do you mean?" the detective countered, glancing at him over her shoulder briefly. Makoto just shrugged, looking at her curiously. "Well... I mean, why did you choose to start it? I know she has to be stopped, but... is there any reason you personally tried to start this way to bring her down?"

"... Someone had to do it."

Despite her simple reply, he could sense a small amount of bitterness in her voice, and he decided not to push the subject any further after that. He was sure there was more to it, if her tone implied anything—but he really didn't want to risk angering or upsetting her right now.

Komaru tugged on Makoto's sleeve, a worried look on her face—and Makoto realized he must have worn an expression of unease at the prior thoughts. He then offered his sister a smile, trying to reassure her that he was alright. Komaru's concern stayed evident for a moment, challenging his claim, before she nodded, releasing his sleeve to walk beside him quietly.

The walk was spent in silence for a while, and Makoto had to wonder why this Sakura girl was so far away from any of the others. For her safety, sure, but wasn't keeping her so far away risky as well? What if something happened and she needed their help? They would be too far away to arrive in time before trouble occurred, right?

... Wait. Didn't Kyoko mention something about _boundaries_ before?

Makoto opened his mouth to question it, but Komaru beat him to speaking. "So, uh... where are we going, exactly?"

Kyoko let out a quiet hum, sounding almost amused, as she asked, "Weren't you listening before?"

Komaru puffed out her cheeks in childish protest, countering back with, "Well, yeah, I was! We're going to see Sakura, but... _where_ is Sakura?"

The lavender haired detective looked around cautiously, checking for anyone else around them to hear what she would say. Makoto glanced around as well, noticing that while it was early, some people were still starting to get on with their day by now. After a moment, she turned to Komaru, shaking her head—and Makoto could only guess that she was saying it wasn't safe to say out loud right now. Komaru sighed, but nodded, following along silently for the remainder of the walk.

The boy wasn't sure how long or how far they walked on, but eventually Kyoko lead them to a small, two story building—a shop, as he realized.

This had to be the place.

Upon opening the door, a small bell sounded, alerting the owner of an arrival in their store. Makoto almost missed those simple sounds, the pleasant reminders of what was once a peaceful life. Komaru looked around in awe, her eyes gazing over the floor-to-ceiling shelves of manga. Though the shelves weren't anywhere close to full, and only a few volumes scattered the place, making it look rather empty, Makoto could only guess it once was full of amazing works of art and stories.

After he looked around for a while, he turned back to Kyoko—who appeared to be talking with a rather round young man, adorned by a quite silly grin, yet who looked more eccentric than most people Makoto had seen recently.

"Ah, Miss Kirigiri! I see you've returned to equip more masterpieces into your inventory!"

Oh yes, _definitely_ eccentric.

"Hello, Hifumi," Kyoko greeted plainly, nodding towards him. The young man smiled, looking at Makoto and Komaru with an excited grin. "I see you have more party members to join you. And who might you two be?"

"I'm Komaru Naegi," the dark haired girl answered, "and this is my big brother, Makoto."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Naegi! And to your brother as well," Hifumi replied with a large smile. "If I might ask, what kind of doujinshi works are you into? I have a good variety left if anyone is interested in seeing them!"

Komaru giggled, looking around with a happy grin, and Makoto couldn't help but smile with her. He glanced back at Kyoko, just as Hifumi spoke again. "Yet, uh... I assume you're not here for that," he said, tilting his head down as his glasses shined, blocking any view of his small eyes. "I'm guessing you're here to see Miss Oogami?"

With a simple nod, Kyoko looked towards the doorway leading to a flight of stairs. Hifumi stepped out of the way to let her past, and the siblings followed after her, walking up the stairs and turning down the hall. Kyoko approached the door, knocking three times, then twice, then four times after. They were met by silence, before the door opened, revealing the most muscular woman Makoto had ever really seen. Her strong build was quite intimidating, and if it wasn't for the calm look on her features, Makoto would feel pretty scared by her presence.

"Kyoko... it's nice to see you doing well. I take it you and your team has been staying safe?"

"Of course," the detective replied, "And you four have been doing well, right?"

Sakura nodded once, an almost amused smile on her face, "As well as we can be, yes."

"May we come in?"

"Of course."

Kyoko glanced back at the two, gesturing once for them to follow her, as the three entered the room. It was a pleasant looking bedroom of sorts, however the two beds placed against opposite walls made Makoto wonder who else stayed in the room. Upon looking around the place, he noticed another girl staring at them, and realized his question was already answered.

"Hey... you two look new. I haven't seen you before. Who are you guys?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, her short black hair swaying slightly from the gesture. Kyoko turned to the girl, nodding in greeting to her before speaking. "Sayuri, this is Komaru and Makoto Naegi, our newest members" she introduced, before gesturing to her two companions.

"Oh... nice to meet you, then!" Sayuri chirped, a happy smile on her features. "I'm Sayuri Akiyama, but Kyoko already kind of said that..."

Makoto just smiled at her, "It's nice to meet you too, Sayuri."

"Well, while we're in the middle of greetings," Kyoko interjected after a moment, looking around.  
"Where are Yukari and Mondo?"

"Mondo should be in his and Hifumi's room, and if I recall, Yukari was running errands the last time we checked in, before she left," Sakura explained, crossing her large arms as she spoke. Kyoko nodded, turning to the door. "I'd like to go speak with Mondo, then. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Take your time," Sakura said, "I would like to get to know these two in any case."

"Very well then."

With that, Kyoko turned on her heel, walking down the hall to another room on the left. Makoto watched her depart, before turning to the two females, waving unsurely. "Um... hi," he murmured, offering them a smile. Sakura nodded to acknowledge him, while Sayuri smiled, waving back. "So... new members, huh?" Sayuri asked.

"Yeah," he confirmed with a nod, "we both started yesterday, along with another friend of ours."

"I see," Sakura mused, looking at the two siblings. "I take it you recently met Kyoko as well, then?"

"Mhmm," Komaru hummed, "About four days ago, I think..."

"Wow, you guys really joined quickly, huh?" Sayuri commented, blinking in surprise. "I mean, it took most of us a while to be convinced to join... or for Kyoko to trust us enough to let some of us in."

"Well... we've been wanting the world to change for a long time. So, it only made sense to work with people with the same goals," Makoto explained, earning an approving look from Sakura.

"How very noble of you two," she said, nodding once to them. "I must admit, I am also surprised that Kyoko brought you here so early..."

"Really?"

"Yeah... normally, she doesn't like bringing people to Sakura right away—you know how it is," Sayuri answered. "She's usually cautious with making sure nobody who could be a threat finds us here."

"She must trust you quite a lot, then..."

Makoto chuckled nervously at Sakura's claim, waving his hands in front of him as he negated the possibility. "N-no, no, it's probably just that I couldn't do much even if I was a threat. I mean... I'm a pretty average kid, y'know?"

"Maybe so...," Sakura murmured, looking down the hall as footsteps echoed towards them.

"Yo', Sakura, who the fuck are you talkin' to?"

"Mondo!" Sayuri scolded, "Watch your language!"

Mondo walked in a moment later, carrying two bags of supplies, as a blonde girl walked in behind him, a frown on her face. "Mondo, I could have carried them myself."

"Are you bein' serious, Yukari? I'm doin' you a favor, here!"

"The two of you, please...," Sakura warned, as Mondo set the bags unceremoniously down on the floor. Kyoko followed in a moment later, closing the door behind them. "Hey... who're these two?" Mondo asked, raising a brow at them. Kyoko cleared her throat, gesturing to Makoto. "Makoto Naegi, and his sister, Komaru," she replied. "They're our two new members."

"Oh," Yukari murmured. "I see... welcome to the team. I'm Yukari Oonishi, one of the team's spell specialists."

"Mondo Oowada," the taller boy introduced, his voice sounding irritated as he cracked his knuckles. "Nice to fuckin' meet ya'. I don't got any magic, but if you think I'm weaker than the other little shits for that, I'm more than willing to punch your teeth in to prove you're wrong."

"N-no, that won't be necessary," Makoto said nervously, a chuckle passing his lips. He really hadn't thought he did anything to anger the boy, but either he did—or this young man's temper was just a ticking time bomb.

Either way, he reminded himself to be careful around him—best not to infuriate someone who could put him through a wall, after all.

"Nice to meet you guys as well...," Komaru greeted with a nod to the two, smiling unsurely. Mondo nodded to her, heaving out as gruff sigh, as Yukari pulled a small notepad out of one of the bags. "So... you two have what magic talents?"

"Um..."

The blonde girl cut Makoto off before he could utter a word, raising a hand as she pulled the pen out of the notepad's spiral bindings. "I like to keep track of everyone's abilities—it helps. I would try to theorize, but... I've found it's easier just to ask."

"We... have none," Komaru confessed for them. "Makoto and I are pretty much as normal as you can get."

"Ah, I see," Sayuri said with a nod. "That's okay, I know how that is. I don't have any magic, either."

"Really?" Makoto asked.

"Yeah," the green eyed girl confirmed. "I mean, I tried spells once, but the language is really confusing... and I'm scared to make potions, I don't want to make any bad mistakes with those things after all."

"I... guess I can understand that," Makoto agreed, before turning to Sakura. "And you? ... Kyoko had mentioned you had a rare magic talent... what is it, exactly?"

"My capabilities are what one might call a _Dreamer_ ," the muscular young woman stated.

"A... what?"

It seemed that she had expected them not to know, as Sakura just offered an amused smile, beginning to explain.

"When I am asleep, my consciousness can leave my body and wander about the area I'm in. Whatever I witness is displayed to me in my sleep," Sakura said.

"Really?" Makoto asked, eyes widening a bit. "Does that mean you can talk to people, even when asleep?"

"No. When my consciousness is out, it cannot be seen or heard, or even felt by others. Its presence is entirely undetected...," she stated, earning a gasp of awe from Komaru.

"Wow, so, you're like the perfect spy, huh? You can see anything, anywhere, at any time?"

"Not quite," Sakura corrected. "There are boundaries to follow as well."

Makoto recalled Kyoko's comment about such earlier, and looked at the white haired woman. "Yeah... I think I heard something about that. What are they, exactly?"

"They are the limits to where I can wander off when asleep," she explained. "I can feel them when I'm about to cross them. It feels odd to say the least. Not painful, but not quite comfortable, either. It helps so I don't break them."

"What would happen if you did?"

Sakura glanced at Komaru as she spoke. "My consciousness wouldn't be able to return to me, and my body would be unable to ever awaken."

"So you'd die if you cross the boundaries?" Makoto asked, feeling uneasy at the thought.

"In a physical sense, yes... my consciousness would live on however, just as it is. Unseen, unheard... I would be left to wander as a sort of ghost forever, to put it simply."

"That... sounds horrible," Komaru rasped out. Sayuri offered a sympathetic frown to Sakura, before turning to the siblings. "That's why she's here. The city where Ultimate Despair resides is just within the limit this way. So... she's the team's spy without risking being separated from her body this way."

Makoto swallowed a lump in his throat, but nodded, smiling softly at Sakura. "That's really brave..."

"If it's what I must do to help, then it is what I will do," she replied simply. Makoto remained quiet, considering her words. That was what he felt when he joined—it seemed she shared his belief. But... she was out there risking her life, her existence, to help this rebellion. What could he do to really help then?

"I see... that makes sense," he said, his voice soft, as Kyoko glanced over at him. "Is something wrong, Makoto?"

"Ah, no, no, I'm okay," he reassured her, letting out a small laugh. "Sorry... just thinking."

"You're not a very convincing liar," Yukari pointed out, "What's on your mind?"

"It's... I'm just thinking of how I can help out, that's all."

"You're doing fine as is," Kyoko interjected, a plain look on her face, but her words carried an unusual hint of desperation—like she _needed_ him to keep doing what he was. But then again, he wasn't sure if anything he was doing was all that useful, so...

Mondo shrugged, cracking his neck. "Eh, whatever. It doesn't really matter right now, so quit worryin' 'bout it, kid..."

Sayuri gave him an indignant expression, about to scold him for brushing someone else's conversation off, but he continued, looking over at the detective. "Kyoko, you said you came here for somethin'?"

The lavender haired girl nodded, changing her gaze over from Makoto to look at Sakura. "Yes. The usual, as always," she said. "If you could spy on the town tonight and let us know if she's planning anything, that would be nice."

"Of course," the strong girl agreed, "I will call you with my findings first thing in the morning, then."

"Thank you," Kyoko offered with a nod. "Just be careful, please."

"I will, I assure you."

Kyoko let out a slight sound of approval, before turning to Makoto and Komaru. "We should get going, then... we don't want to risk spending too long here."

"Right," Makoto agreed, as he turned to the four. "It was nice to meet you guys!"

"Same to you, Makoto," Sayuri said with a smile, waving goodbye. "Please, take care of yourself," Yukari warned, as Sakura nodded to them, murmuring a quiet _farewell_. Though Mondo said nothing, he waved his hand once, bidding them goodbye. With that, Kyoko led the two out and downstairs where they met Hifumi once more.

"Hifumi," Kyoko started, "any popular books you have in stock?"

"Ah, yes, I have one here!" he exclaimed, bounding over to one of the shelves and pulling a doujinshi volume down—Makoto was surprised of how good of a condition it was in. He wondered how much care Hifumi put into keeping these manga pristine, before watching as he showed it to Kyoko. The lavender haired girl looked over it, then nodding, pulling out a sum of money. "Here," she said, handing it to him.

"Oh my—are you really making a purchase, Miss Kirigiri?"

"For the sake of a cover, yes," she said, watching as he accepted the payment and offered the book to her, but she merely pointed to Komaru. "Let her have it, it's fine."

"Eh? Really, Kyoko?" the younger girl asked.

"We should likely disguise the visit—and you seem to be more of the type to purchase something of this sort than I would be. So yes, go ahead."

Komaru nodded, a sweet smile on her face as she gave a soft _thank you_ to her. She accepted the manga from Hifumi, looking over the cover. "Wow! This is such a good one, where did you find this?"

"I believe I acquired that one four years ago—I haven't put it out yet, so you're lucky you obtained this special one."

"How many other cool ones do you have?" Komaru asked, excitement evident in her eyes.

"I have quite the inventory, if you'd ever like to see...!"

"Maybe another time," Kyoko cut in, before ushering the younger girl towards the door. Komaru seemed to be in quite the good mood with her new material to read, and Makoto smiled, walking beside Kyoko as they left the shop, heading back towards the base.

* * *

She was hidden in the shadows as she watched them leave—the younger looking girl with a manga in her hands, chattering happily to the other two about the contents of the book she just bought from the shop. Mukuro glanced at the little, two-story building—Buji City's manga store, owned by the popular doujinshi author, Hifumi Yamada. Every otaku used to make weekly, or even daily visits into his shop when the world once was good—and it seemed even in their hellish surroundings, people still did.

But she had trouble believing that buying manga was really what Kyoko had risked bringing them all the way out here to do.

She knew that Kyoko herself wasn't one for those things—and perhaps the bubbly teen girl that was with them was, but that didn't explain why Kyoko went with them to that place.

That couldn't have been all it was, could it?

She debated going in and seeing what was there—what the real visit could have been, but she scolded herself for having the thought. Toying with the metal beads strung in a bracelet around her wrist, she watched them depart, waiting for a safe distance. She could always investigate this shop later, but for now, she promised Junko that she would follow the boy instead—and she knew she couldn't break her promises to Junko.

So without a word or sound made, she slipped after the three, following them silently the entire way back to their base.

* * *

 **I'm surprised this got done so quickly.**

 **Honestly, I was aiming to hopefully get it done by Friday, as I have to work all day this upcoming weekend. But... yeah. It's actually done now. So... here's a gift for the fact that I took effing forever to post the last chapter.**

 **Also, I just counted recently. There's gonna be over 40 important characters in this story. Wish me luck?**

 **And, our final type of magic talents is introduced here. The "Dreamer" ability. That was a fun one to create, honestly. I hope you guys like it.**

 **And a big thank you to TriMaplenut and Sync Ryu for the reviews- they really make me smile. And I forgot to say it before, but thank you guys so much for everyone who has stuck with this story, even in my prior absence. You guys are amazing, thank you so much.**

 **Anyway, because of my busy schedule for the next two weeks, I'm gonna try to get the next chapter out by next Friday (June 10), but I can't make an absolute promise. I will try my best, though, but forgive me if I'm a few days behind. It won't take nearly as long as it did for last chapter, THAT I can promise.**

 **Either way, enjoy, guys! Leave a review if you have anything to say- positive or negative, any input you guys have helps. C'ya next chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

Kyoko was vaguely aware of the cellphone going off as she started to stir slightly—the rather obnoxious ringtone serving well to disrupt her slumber. The lavender haired girl groaned softly, rubbing her eyes for a moment as the irritating tune continued to chime. Her gloved hand fumbled out for a moment to grab the phone off of the table by her bedside, and with a small yawn, she put the phone to her ear, answering the call.

"Hello?"

" _So you finally picked up, Kyoko. I'm glad. I was getting worried when you weren't answering before._ "

The detective had almost forgotten she had asked Sakura to call that morning until she heard the martial artist's voice. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she asked, "Did you try to call before?"

" _Three times, in fact. I was about to give up and send Mondo to your base to see what happened_."

"My apologies, Sakura. You know it takes me a while sometimes," Kyoko murmured.

" _I understand that._ "

Kyoko nodded, throwing the covers off of her body as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. "First, I should ask—is everything on your end alright?"

" _We're fine here, Kyoko. And am I to assume the same for you?_ "

"Yes, we're doing fine," Kyoko confirmed as she stood up, stretching her free arm. "So... did you see anything last night?"

" _They had no plans that they were discussing, however all of the members were accounted for, mind one._ "

"... Which one?"

"T _he usual one. I hear Junko call the girl 'Little Wolf' often, but I think once I heard her name was Mukuro. She was missing from her room in the main mansion._ "

Kyoko nodded simply, a disapproving frown on her features. "Was she anywhere nearby?"

" _Not that I witnessed, no. I'm not sure where she was at the time, but she didn't seem to return._ "

"For now, if we're not sure, we'll have to move past that fact. You said they didn't discuss anything?"

" _As far as I know, nothing is upcoming at the moment_."

"Are you sure?"

" _Absolutely. You know I wouldn't have wandered back if I wasn't sure, Kyoko._ "

Kyoko let out a quiet hum, before nodding. "I know. My apologies, I didn't mean to insinuate that you wouldn't."

" _It's alright. I understand your concern_."

"Right... my apologies for asking, but could you check again tonight as well?"

" _Tonight?_ "

"If you could, that would be nice," Kyoko admitted. Sakura was silent on the other end for a few moments, and as Kyoko opened her mouth to ask if she was still there, the martial artist spoke again. " _You seem to be more determined that usual, Kyoko... I wonder why. Does it have to do with that boy?_ "

"... Somewhat," the detective confessed, though her tone didn't give anything away. "Makoto has been getting the others motivated... he's been a big positive influence for them. It's the first time we've really been able to get things done. It helps quite a lot. He's helped quite a lot."

" _Just the others?_ "

Kyoko paused, before asking, "What are you implying with that?"

" _Nothing bad, I assure you. However, I just wondered... you say he's influencing the others? But if I know you well... he seems to be a positive influence on you as well. Is that true?_ "

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," Kyoko said simply. "Makoto is just influencing the others to not give up, and that's making things easier to move forward."

She heard Sakura chuckle softly on the other end, as the martial artist spoke again. " _As expected... but that boy—Makoto, was it? He seems... good for you, too, in that case. I'm certain that he's quite the motivation for you as well_."

"Sakura...," Kyoko began, her tone somewhat slow and soft, as if trying to explain herself.

" _My apologies if I seem to be prying. That was not my intention, as you know. I'm merely observi—_ ,"

The female on the other end's comment was cut short by a steady beeping sound, and as she blinked in surprise, Kyoko pulled the cellphone away from her ear. She watched as the flashing symbol appeared, revealing the newly dead battery, as the phone shut off, ending communication between the two. Kyoko was silent, then frowned—how expected. Still, she supposed it couldn't be helped—she would just have to charge it and wait.

Plugging the cable into the end of the phone, Kyoko slipped the cellphone under the bed, connecting the cord to the socket hidden behind the bedframe. Perhaps it was paranoid to hide this phone like such, but as far as Kyoko was concerned, it was worth it. It was her easiest piece for communication—and a vital piece at that for communicating when her team was separated. Paranoid or not, she was fine as long as it remained in her possession.

The lavender haired girl glanced around the room, rubbing the lingering sleepiness from her eyes. So, Sakura had claimed no attacks were coming up? She trusted her on that, then—Sakura was very cautious with these things, she knew that she wouldn't just leave without investigating, or checking for everyone.

Still...

Sakura must have been mistaken at least on her claim that Makoto was influencing her, right? After all, Kyoko prided herself on always being on task and ready, and not needing the assistance of others to complete her work. She didn't need this boy's help personally, she just needed him to help the others to help _them_ move forward. The boy's optimism was contagious—his hopeful nature almost as easily spread as the despair that had overtaken their world by Junko's hand—and that served to make Kyoko's job easier simply by saving her the effort of convincing the team to keep moving forward.

That was all she needed him for.

And yet, regardless of what she needed him for, she found that in all honesty—she liked his company. It was... pleasant to see a person so happy and so kind. As naive and unfit for the world that boy seemed, it was nice to be around him. It was different, and as much as Kyoko liked knowing what to expect, she liked his out of place optimism, too. Was that why she was being more trusting than usual with him? She couldn't deny that maybe she was opening up to him more than she should have.

Kyoko sat down on the edge of the bed, thinking over what Sakura said. Is this what she meant when she said that? Is this how Makoto was influencing her? Making her more accepting and trusting?

The detective shook her head, recalling everything that Makoto had prompted out of her. Trust, acceptance, _smiles_ —he had made her drop her stoic mask more than once now, and that was something Kyoko tried her best to keep up at all times.

But it couldn't be more than trust or respect. She simply needed his optimism for others, she didn't need his help personally.

She didn't need any help from others.

With an annoyed huff, Kyoko decided it was time to stop dwelling on the subject. It didn't matter, really—whatever Sakura assumed to have figured out was irrelevant at the moment. Standing up and stretching her arms one final time, Kyoko grabbed her everyday clothes and began to change, knowing that she had to move on with her day regardless of any... _turmoil_ Sakura's claim had set off within her.

* * *

Makoto rubbed his eyes sleepily, staring up at the ceiling as he lay on the bed, contemplating the day ahead of him. The bed was surprisingly comfortable all things considered, and even sharing the room with Haku wasn't bad. The ginger boy was a quiet enough sleeper at the very least—mind some mumbling from time to time, though it wasn't loud enough for the brunette to make out any specific words—and Makoto was just so exhausted it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Was that why he was so reluctant to get up? Maybe... he wasn't sure.

Still, he knew his day had to progress, even if the warmth of the blankets and the comfy feel of the bed was luring him to go back to sleep. Throwing off the covers, the boy suppressed a shiver at the rush of cool air that hit him, and swung his legs over the side of the bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Finally up, Makoto?"

He hadn't even realized Haku was awake until he heard the other boy speak.

"Uh... yeah. You?"

"Been awake for the past hour," the purple eyed boy confessed. "Couldn't go back to sleep..."

"I'm sorry to hear," Makoto sympathized, looking at the ginger boy who remained on his back on the bed, gazing up at the ceiling with a blank expression. "Did something keep you up?"

"... Is she dead?"

"Eh?" Makoto mused, before realizing who he meant. He had never met Tomoyo, so he supposed he wasn't sure of her capability of survival, but... Haku sounded so distressed with those three words, that Makoto couldn't just _not_ say something. "I don't know. But... you need to trust her."

"It's not that I don't trust _her_ ," Haku confessed, "but... I don't trust our situation. I don't trust the rest of the world she's lost in."

"But until you know for sure, isn't it best to believe in her?" Makoto asked. Haku blinked, then sighed, turning his head to look at Makoto—and for the first time, the intimidating boy seemed _scared_. "I want to. I really do, but... what if—,"

"Don't doubt her. Don't doubt her ability to take care of herself... believe in her until the final moment, because if she is okay, she needs you not to give up... she needs you to trust her and look for her if that's the case," Makoto reasoned, looking Haku in the eyes, sincerity clear on his face. The ginger haired boy stared for a moment, his mouth slightly open like he was looking for the words to retort with—but a moment later he grinned and sat up, a breathy chuckle passing his lips. "You're... you're too naive, y'know? But still... nah, forget it," Haku said, shaking his head. "I'll play along with your advice... it seems like the better thing to do"

Makoto wasn't sure how to reply, but instead just nodded, standing up and stretching his neck to the side. Haku went to stand up a moment later, staring at the wall next to him, before slamming his fist against it and jumping to his feet. "What... was that for?" Makoto asked, confusion mixed in with his sleepy tone, and Haku shrugged. "Making sure the girls get up," he explained, "Celeste is pretty much a bitter wreck early in the morning, and Hotaru hates having to be subject to that when trying to wake her, so... I take it upon myself to wake them both up. The walls are thin enough that it echoes when I do that, anyway."

"Oh," Makoto said with a small chuckle, "They share a room too?"

"And a bed," Haku clarified with a chuckle. Makoto blinked, opening his mouth to ask why, but he was cut off by Haku the as taller boy began to speak again. "Well, regardless... we should likely go meet the others, right?"

"Yeah...," Makoto agreed quietly, saving his question for another time as he followed after Haku, the two leaving the room without another word spoken.

Makoto was surprised to see that Sayaka wasn't up already with the others—he knew that she and Komaru were sharing a spare room now, and he knew his sister had her issues with waking up early, but he was still expecting to at least see his navy haired friend up and ready by now. Oh well, she would be down eventually, he reasoned, as he took a seat next to Touko.

The author stiffened slightly as he sat down close to her, and scooted away a bit—but as Makoto offered her a warm smile, she seemed to slowly relax, letting out a quiet huff as she went back to writing in her notebook. As Makoto glanced around the room, he took notice of how only a few members were already up—and he wondered if most of these teens weren't really morning people.

"Makoto?"

The brunette blinked, looking up in front of him, spotting Kyoko standing nearby as she addressed him. "I see you're awake, hm?" she mused. "How did you sleep?"

"Pretty good, actually. Still a little tired, but I didn't sleep too bad," he replied with a smile. "I think I can call it a good night."

"That's good," Kyoko said with a nod, as Makoto smiled in return. "What about you?"

"Hm?"

"How did you sleep?" the brunette clarified, looking at Kyoko curiously. The lavender haired girl was quiet before shrugging once, replying with, "I slept fine."

"That's good...," Makoto replied, a little unsurely. He hoped that by _fine_ , she meant she slept well, but... he knew he wouldn't get anywhere by asking more than what he already had. Kyoko nodded once, before glancing over at the door, her gaze remaining on that one spot. Makoto looked at her for a moment, before directing his attention to the door as well, wondering what Kyoko was staring at.

"Would you like to join me...?"

"Eh?" Makoto asked, blinking.

"For a walk. It would be best if you knew your way around the town, wouldn't you agree?" Kyoko asked, her gaze never leaving the door as she spoke. It was odd, up until now, Kyoko had always seemed to make eye contact when she addressed someone—a typical formality for her. But now she glanced at the door, almost as if she was nervous to look him in the eyes when she asked her question... could something have been on her mind when she asked?

Or, it was just early, and Makoto was making baseless assumptions to figure out a girl he wanted to know better than he actually did. Yeah, that had to be it.

"You're right," Makoto said, brushing the prior thoughts away to answer her before the question was lost to him. "It probably would... I'd love to take a walk around with you, then."

"... You—,"

"I mean, it'd be great to learn my way around, so eventually I can do more to help once I'm used to everything, right?"

"I see...," Kyoko said simply, nodding once before glancing at Makoto. Her face gave nothing away, as usual—the odd thought crossed Makoto's mind as he wondered if she had even been open with anybody before—but he decided it was irrelevant at the moment.

"Haku?"

"Yeah, I heard you," the ginger boy mused, turning to glance at Kyoko. "Have fun."

The taller boy's tone was a little bitter—though sounded no different from his usual way of speaking. Makoto shuffled awkwardly, before waving briefly to Haku. "We'll see you later," the boy said kindly, offering his roommate a smile. Haku was silent, then let out a breathy chuckle, nodding to the boy to acknowledge his comment. "See you, then."

Smiling softly, the boy felt accomplished at gaining a slightly pleasant reaction from the other. With that in mind, he didn't waste another moment as he stood up, and followed the detective to the door, as the two exited without another sound made.

* * *

Mukuro wished that tailing these two was more interesting.

True, she was doing well with her task. She had been following them all around the town all day—watching as Kyoko led the boy from place to place, showing him the area—and even had succeeded in following them the day before without being made, or even appearing suspicious once. She was relieved that nobody in the city recognized her, either. Regardless of being the other of the _True Ultimate Despair_ , it seemed only Junko was the recognizable one that people feared the sight or name of. Mukuro had never been included in that type of reaction. Most people didn't know who she was, and if they saw her, they would never put it together to figure it out for themselves. She was simply in her sister's shadow, her actions being seen as Junko's own.

But really, she was glad her presence wasn't feared. It made doing her job—it made pleasing her sister—so much easier for her. Though she loved a challenge... making Junko happy was enough of a challenge for her.

Yet while things were going smoothly, Mukuro couldn't help but wish the duo would do _something_ worthwhile. This boy was boring and terribly ordinary—and she couldn't help but _feel_ Junko's inevitable disappointment at the fact that this boy wasn't anything special.

Or, perhaps, her satisfaction. She really couldn't guess how her sister would react at this point.

Silently, Mukuro continued to follow the two as they wandered around the city, taking note of everywhere they stopped, everywhere they lingered around for longer than others, and what conversations they exchanged, for any interesting information.

She needed _something_ to tell Junko, after all.

Though when they arrived at an old, two-story house—battered and broken by tragedies and discord—Mukuro felt like maybe this boy _was_ important if Kyoko would take him here.

"... Kyoko?"

"Hm?"

Mukuro stayed quiet, ducking behind a nearby wall merely ten feet away to listen to them as they spoke.

"Are... you okay?" Makoto asked, concern evident in his tone. "You... seem sad."

"I do?" Kyoko asked, her voice skeptic, but Mukuro could sense the hidden sounds of _surprise_.

"Yeah... is something wrong?"

"... No."

"Are you sure?"

"It's fine. I promise you," the detective replied with a cool tone, gazing at the old house with unclear, yet obviously intense emotions.

"... Was this your house?"

"No," Kyoko clarified. "I've never lived here in my life."

Makoto blinked, tilting his head, seeming so clearly confused. "Then... whose is it?"

When Kyoko didn't reply, Makoto worried if he offended her in any way. He raised his hands in front of him, and opened his mouth to apologize, but Kyoko cut in before he could, taking a step forward.

"... Excuse me," the lavender haired girl said simply, fixing her gloves on her hands as she walked towards the door. "Stay here, and don't move. I'll be out in a few minutes."

"R-Right..."

As Mukuro heard the door creak open and the footsteps disappear, she leaned against the brick wall she hid behind, waiting until Kyoko returned from checking out her father's house. It wasn't like Mukuro had anything else to do in the meantime but wait, anyway. She couldn't exactly _leave_ , now could she? And it wasn't a good idea to go and strike up a conversation with the boy right now—true, he seemed horribly naive enough that she could ask questions about him and casually get information without him ever suspecting her intentions—but now wasn't a good place to do it. She couldn't approach him so casually in the middle of the city, not without a proper reason to talk to him without seeming suspicious, not to mention if Kyoko came out, it wouldn't take the detective long to figure out something was off about her.

No, all she could do for now was wait.

As time ticked by, Mukuro's fingers found their way to the metal beads of her bracelet, gently rolling them as she tried to pass time. She hadn't even realized that the clasp had let loose until the bracelet fell from her wrist, falling to the ground just in the boy's view. Mukuro cursed quietly, quickly scooping it up from the ground, and hoping with everything that she had that the boy hadn't—

"Eh? Oh! S-sorry, miss. I didn't see you there before."

Mukuro's heart dropped as she realized she had been made.

Knowing that staying silent and continuing her mission from the sidelines was an absolutely horrible idea now that she had been seen, Mukuro let out the most amused laugh she could fake, looking at Makoto as she came out from behind the wall, fumbling to fix the bracelet around her wrist again. "I can't really judge," the soldier replied softly, "I didn't see you there, either."

Makoto chuckled quietly, walking up to her, and Mukuro tensed, fighting every urge to attack the closer he came.

"Here, can I help?"

He gestured towards the unclasped bracelet that she was trying to put on her wrist, a smile evident on his face. Mukuro couldn't comprehend why this boy was so willing to help some stranger, but she nodded, continuing her act. "Sure, if you want to," she said, watching as he took the bracelet from her hands and tried to close it around her bare wrist. The skin of his hands brushed against the inside of her wrist, gently ghosting over her pulse point, and every part of Mukuro's instincts were itching to attack him for such close contact.

But she couldn't blow it now.

"Well... the clasp seems broken. I can't get it to stay, but...," Makoto mused, before taking the two end beads and twisting them together, letting the strings in between wrap around each other and hold themselves closed. "Here, this will keep it for a little while, at least."

It was a rather inefficient way to secure a bracelet—yet Mukuro decided not to comment. Thank him, make her leave before anything else could be said. She couldn't blow this now.

"Thanks, kiddo," Mukuro said, an unfitting perkiness laced into her voice as she tried to appear as genuinely happy as she thought she should be in this occasion. "I'll be sure to fix it once I get home."

"That'd be a good idea," Makoto agreed, nodding quietly, "It'd be a shame to lose it, it looks really nice on you."

"... Oh. T-Thank you," Mukuro replied unsurely, not quite understanding how or why that compliment was being given. "I-It was a... gift... from... my sister..."

No, that was unnecessary information for that statement—she was going to ruin her mission!

Makoto smiled sweetly, a genuine look of understanding on his face. "It'd be especially good to fix it as soon as possible, then. I know if Komaru gave me something like that, I'd hate to lose it..."

"... Komaru?" she asked. Mukuro knew she needed to go, but she couldn't help her need for information about the boy. At least if she found something useful, Junko might forgive her for being spotted.

"Ah. My little sister," Makoto clarified. "... What about you?"

"Hm?"

"Is your sister older or younger than you?"

"We're twins," Mukuro said plainly, before adding on, "but... I'm the older twin."

"Really? You have a twin?" the brunette asked, tilting his head with an awe filled smile. "That's so cool!"

"I'm... glad you think so."

Why she was feeling so... funny right now?

"Are you two identical twins, or—,"

"Makoto? Who are you talking to?"

As Kyoko's voice rang out from a small ways beyond the closed door of the house, Mukuro knew she had just a few moments to make her leave before things got _too_ risky for her liking.

"O-Oh... sorry, Makoto," Mukuro said sweetly, "I didn't realize you were busy here!"

"No need to be sorry," Makoto insisted, "I-I wasn't all that busy at the time."

"Well, I'd hate to keep you waiting now, anyway," Mukuro said with a falsified giggle to hide her desperation, counting down how much time she had left with each footstep of Kyoko's she could hear. "My bad, really. Though I should head home and fix this, anyway... my sister would hate me if I lost her gift to me. So uh... I'll see you around!"

Mukuro turned on her heel before the boy had a chance to respond, only managing three steps away before she heard the sound of Kyoko stepping outside and shutting the door. She had just made it—but she did _not_ want to get this close to being made ever again.

Mukuro kept walking, taking a quick turn once she was sure she was out of their view. She could barely spot the two of them off farther beyond—and though she couldn't hear what they were saying, she could see the disappointed look on Kyoko's face. As she watched the two depart, Mukuro stayed where she was, knowing it was too risky to follow them again. Makoto had made her—and though he didn't know who she was, she knew Kyoko might be on the lookout. The detective was much smarter than that boy, and Mukuro didn't feel like risking it. Junko wouldn't be happy if she risked it.

Besides... she got something from that... Makoto kid, anyway.

Deciding she had enough information to please Junko for now, the soldier began to trudge back to their town, pinching her fingers on the tangled up beads that kept her bracelet in place, not trusting Makoto's supposed handiwork to keep it secured.

Besides, if this information was something useful to her sister... she was sure this bracelet full of ammo wouldn't hold up for much longer, anyway.

* * *

 **So... I was all ready to write this. I had like 2/3 done of it, and then I got a job... and all my free time went out the window for the longest time.**

 **Either way, glad this is out now at least. I hope you guys enjoy this, because I'm honestly happy with how things are progressing. I really do hope you guys enjoy, and sorry about the wait!**

 **Also, to the person who asked if they could recommend this to others- you don't even need to ask. I would be absolutely honored if you guys liked this story enough to tell others. It's not required though, honestly, but I'm really honored that people were willing to.**

 **And because I've actually gotten quite a few people asking about this- yes, Chihiro is male in this story. But unless or until the secret is revealed, I'll probably use female pronouns for them, as that's what they're currently known as. If/when it's stated that they're biologically male, I'll probably change to male pronouns in that case so... hopefully that won't be confusing!**

 **Also... in response to another question, I haven't actually planned a legit name for the resistance. I'd love to hear if anyone has ideas though, I think it'd be really cool to see if or what anyone would think to call them. But to Ephemyst, that was a good question. I'm gonna be thinking about that one, now.**

 **And thank you so much to TriMaplenut, Ephemyst, and clapsformia for the reviews, I'm really glad you guys like this story so far. Your reviews make me smile, I'm so thankful for your feedback on this. Thanks so much, guys!**

 **And until next time, enjoy!**


	12. Chapter 12

So sleepy...

Chiaki yawned softly, covering her mouth with her pale hand as she let out an exhausted breath of air. Shuffling the bag in her arms, she hugged the supplies to her chest, and the gamer girl continued to tiredly walk back to her domain—the house she had claimed as her own personal space. Or, more of the one that had been appointed to her by Junko...

With each member of the Ultimate Despair having their own house, centered around the main building of the city—where Junko and her sister resided as a _base_ of sorts—Chiaki found privacy to be somewhat easy to find. Aside from gathering when Teruteru would cook meals out of whatever was brought to him—sometimes Chiaki felt uneasy at the thought of what was in her food in that case—and the meetings with Junko herself, the members didn't really interact much. She wasn't sure why, but then again, she didn't need to know why. She really didn't want to risk anyone figuring out that she didn't belong, and the solitude of sorts made it very easy to keep her cover going.

Well, among other tasks as well...

Letting her eyes flutter closed, the enchanted being continued to stumble to her house—only stopping once she bumped into something, and realized she couldn't walk any further than that.

"Mmm... Izuru?" the pink haired gamer mused sleepily to the tall male whose chest she had collided with. The petite girl barely came up to his shoulders, so her murmur was muffled in his chest—yet Izuru just let out an irritated _tsk_ , stepping back to hear her clearly.

"What are you doing, Chiaki?"

"Taking food back to my house... I'm running low," she answered simply, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She found it was rather easy to have people question her less if she seemed incapable of holding a decent conversation—and feigning exhaustion worked well to get that effect. And well, the fact she had remained awake all night playing puzzle games on her treasured Gamegirl helped to solidify her sleepiness, too...

"Why? You can get meals in the restaurant, can't you? Why bother?"

"Because when I stay up playing games, I sometimes get hungry in the middle of the night. And this one time, I went to go the restaurant to grab some food Teruteru prepared because I was close to beating my high score and I wanted to finish it that night, but he had locked the door, so I waited a bit and fell asleep outside... I didn't even get to finish my new record that night... I had to start over...," Chiaki rambled aimlessly with a soft yawn. "So... it's easier this way... I think."

Izuru glared down at the gamer—the oddly innocent member of Ultimate Despair—with a distasteful frown. "... I can't believe I even bother with you. Why does what you do peak my curiosity? I know every time that your motives are nothing but a simplistic waste of time and effort... why do I try?" he muttered, stepping to the side to walk past her. Chiaki puffed out her cheeks in a small pout, but said nothing—it was best that she didn't stall much longer, anyway.

Waiting for the sounds of Izuru's footsteps to disappear, Chiaki made her way to the door of her house, and stepped inside, closing the front door quietly behind her. She didn't lock it—no, that would make her look suspicious if she did, considering nobody else did—and instead, she looked around to make sure nothing had changed, before walking to the entrance to the basement.

Adjusting her hold on the bags to pull a key out of the pocket of her kitty-eared hoodie, she unlocked the door with careful movements, opening it and flipping the light switch on and off a few times as if to signal something. "Hey... it's just me, okay? Don't be afraid to come out," Chiaki said warmly, walking down a few steps and turning to lock the door behind her.

As she descended the final step, she met eyes with the petite brunette, and smiled. "Are you okay, Tomoyo?"

The makeup artist nodded, rushing up to Chiaki to hug around her waist, as the gamer smiled, gently patting her head with her free hand and hugging the bag tightly with her other arm.

"I brought you some food and water—and some beef stew that Teruteru made last night...," Chiaki stated, crouching down to place the bag on the floor, and pulling out the contents. Containers and jars of ramen and stew, and a few bottles of water—thought it wasn't anything fancy, Tomoyo was thankful for whatever Chiaki could safely bring her.

"T-thank you...," the small girl said softly, a sweet look on her face. The pink haired female nodded, sitting down in the corner, beside the nest of blankets and pillow she had brought back for Tomoyo to use as a bed.

It wasn't much, and Chiaki knew that. Every once in a while, Chiaki would find a new pillow she could salvage, or a sheet that could bring warmth when bundled in layers—but it wasn't anything like a real bed, and it surely couldn't have been comfortable, could it? But... it was better than the alternative. If the members of Ultimate Despair found out that the... _missing_ resistance member was truly alive and well, and had been hiding in their town all this time? That wouldn't end well—that she was sure of.

Pulling out a few scraped, slightly broken utensils—she was sure Teruteru wouldn't miss just a few old spoons and forks, right? It wasn't like she took any knives from him—she handed the tiny brunette a pair of silverware and sat down with her on the little pile of bedding so Tomoyo could have some company for her meal. As Tomoyo unlidded the glass jar filled with beef stew, gently swirling her spoon around the mixture, Chiaki watched the steam billow out and dance upon the air above like a strip of silk on a windy day. It was... almost mesmerizing to the enchanted girl. She knew what steam was—she wasn't completely ignorant, after all. She _had_ been programmed by her father with a basic understanding of common knowledge before being brought to life, so she could safely say she knew most things. But... knowing and experiencing where two different things, weren't they?

"Hey... Chiaki?" Tomoyo cut in, ending her musings shyly. "A-are... you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Chiaki said sweetly. "Just thinking a little."

"... C-care to share?" the brunette inquired, timidly trying to make conversation.

"Well... steam is a form of water, right?" Chiaki began. "But... steam can burn you- like fire."

"That's... true," Tomoyo replied softly, not quite seeing where Chiaki was going with this other than stating facts. "Don't you find it funny?" the gamer girl sighed with a smile. "That people find water and fire to be opposites, and yet... steam is a form of water that'll burn you like fire. It's like the opposites working together to create something, isn't it?"

"Well... I guess it is," Tomoyo confessed with a nod. "But... why does it matter?"

"I suppose it doesn't," Chiaki said softly, puffing out her cheeks a little in disappointment once she realized her discovery had no true bearing to the situations. With a quiet murmur of _sorry_ , Tomoyo looked at the floor, realizing she had just brought their conversation to an end with her negation. Such a stupid move, she thought bitterly, scolding herself a little for ending Chiaki's topic.

"... How is your dad? Do you know?" the makeup artist asked, trying once more to begin talking with her, as she let out a puff of air to cool the soup sitting in the spoon.

"Well... I think he's fine," Chiaki said with a smile. "I'm still here after all, so he's still alive..."

"That's good...," Tomoyo replied with a shy smile, not sure if she was overstepping her boundaries with her questions. Putting the spoon in her mouth, Tomoyo took a moment to stop inquiring and to enjoy the flavor of the stew. Chiaki took that small pause of silence to think on the subject more, trying to consider what she knew of her dad's ability. She knew that if she was still alive, then so was he. But was he hurt? Was he alive, but suffering? She wasn't sure. That she couldn't base on just her own existence.

"... My dad has always been stronger than he thought," Chiaki prided a little. "He thinks he's weak, but... I believe in him. I believe he'll be alright."

Smiling, the brunette hugged the other girl's arm, almost silently agreeing with her claim. For a moment, the two friends remained like that, just sharing the wordless form of comfort and contentment between them. But Chiaki knew she couldn't remain down here for too long, not with nighttime arriving, and Junko wanting to meet with all of the members to discuss the next best course of action, just like every week...

"When I come back, do you need any more pillows or blankets, Tomoyo?" the gamer asked, gently standing up and looking at the smaller girl. Tomoyo shook her head, giving Chiaki a thankful smile as she replied. "I'm okay for now, I-I promise. Don't worry about me...," she reassured, looking up as the pink haired girl adjusted her jacket, flipping the hood over her head and rubbing her eyes sleepily. "I'll be back tomorrow morning, okay? I promise... enjoy the food until then. Okay?"

"Okay... thank you, Chiaki. H-Have a good night, okay?"

With a warm smile, Chiaki nodded, waving a brief goodbye to Tomoyo and then heading up the stairs, taking precaution to make sure nothing was odd before she left. Once she was sure that all was safe for now, she walked out, shutting the door and locking it behind her.

* * *

The moment Mukuro walked into the main room of the building and met gazes with Junko, she realized just how doomed she might have been.

"You're back early," her sister commented, looking over Mukuro with inspecting eyes. The raven haired soldier nodded once in return, approaching Junko with quick steps. "There was a... complication. I had to return early just in case."

Well, that was an awful way to start that off...

"A complication? What kind of _complication_?"

"... The target spotted me."

Junko went dead silent for a moment, staring with widened eyes at her older twin, almost as if daring her to follow up with a _just kidding_! When Mukuro's face twitched, showing the slightest hint of _fear_ , Junko finally spoke.

"... The kid spotted you, Mukuro?"

Lack of nicknames? Calm tone of voice? Oh boy, Mukuro could feel herself in trouble now—

But to her surprise, Junko just roared with laughter a few beats after her words, seemingly giddy that her sister had failed her. Mukuro blinked, quite honestly taken back. Was Junko happy that she had been spotted? That she had failed her mission?

Then again, this was Junko she was thinking about, and she should have known by now that anything that would cause a despairing taste in one's mouth was the sweetest flavor in the world to her sister...

"He saw you? How?"

"The... bracelet broke, and he saw me try to pick it up."

"Wow," Junko gasped in gleeful amusement, wiping a mocking tear from her eyes. "I cannot believe you, Mukuro... you failed so horribly because a bracelet let loose? The fuck kind of soldier are you?" she snickered. Mukuro bit the corner of her lip, questioning if Junko perhaps was mad, and was just mocking her.

Why was her sister so hard to figure out, exactly? Not that it mattered at the moment—right now what mattered was making sure that Junko wasn't livid at her. She did get some information, she should at least share it...

"I did manage to talk with him though. He saw me, but I wasn't made. He thought I was just a random passerby..."

"A passerby? And he just decided to start a conversation with a passerby? Who taught this kid how to stay safe?" the blonde model asked, clicking her tongue, almost distastefully at the thought.

"... His name is Makoto, by the way," Mukuro said, deciding to get to the point of her discoveries before Junko had much more time to dwell on Mukuro's failures.

"Hmm... Makoto, huh?" Junko mused, seemingly trying out the name. She repeated it a few times, toying with the syllables and the sounds, before just grimacing, waving her hand at Mukuro in a shooing sort of motion. The soldier showed no change in face, but she felt her gut flinch, almost worried that Junko was mad at her for being caught by him. "Ugh. That's his name? How... plain," the model grumbled. "Is that all he told you about himself? Lame, Muku. I really thought you would have done better with that opportunity..."

Opportunity...? So she wasn't upset about Mukuro being spotted by her target at all? That was an honest relief to the soldier—knowing that her sister wasn't going to go off at her for failing her mission.

"Well... I do know that he has a little sister through the conversation...," Mukuro replied, trying to prove that she at least got some decent information. "I believe he said Komaru was her name..."

"Okay. And your point is...?" the blonde asked tiredly, giving her older twin a disappointed glare. "I don't give two fucks about a sister. Your target was him, not some other bitch."

"Right...," Mukuro said, swallowing a lump in her throat, but keeping her same straight face as she had before. "But... I figured she could be good leverage if we needed it."

"Why would we need leverage on him?" Junko asked simply, but the tone of her voice held a sharp edge of interest.

"I'm pretty sure he's a member of the resistance," the soldier confessed. "I saw Kyoko with him today... she took him to her father's house during their tour of the city. I'm sure he's a member, and an important one at that, if she was willing to take her usual visit there with him in tow."

"You're _sure_ , or you're _pretty sure_?" Junko asked, making sure that Mukuro wasn't just theorizing at this point.

"... I'm sure," Mukuro decided, remembering following them back to what _had_ to be the resistance's base after they visited the manga shop the day prior.

... The manga shop—she had almost forgotten about that suspicious visit. Maybe that was worth mention to her sister as well? It wouldn't hurt to investigate, would it?

"The day before, I saw Kyoko leading Makoto and another young girl back to what seemed like their base, after a visit to—,"

"Mukuro!"

Her sister's sudden shout stopped her speaking instantly, but the Cheshire grin that crept onto the model's face made her skin crawl in discomfort.

"You found their base? Why didn't you say that first!?" Junko hissed in disappointment, but she was smiling so happily, so gleefully, that Mukuro could almost ignore the venom in her voice.

"I'm sorry, Junko... it slipped my mind," she said softly, not wanting to try and justify telling her the bad news first, as she knew that Junko really wouldn't have cared, anyway. "But... there was almost this one place that they stopped by, it was this one shop in Buji City—,"

"Mukuro, can you just shut the fuck up for a minute?" she asked plainly, tapping her foot on the ground impatiently. Realizing that her suspicions wouldn't be heard right now, Mukuro sighed, yet nodded, listening to Junko murmur to herself.

"Hey, Little Wolf? Do you want to lead an attack?"

Well, that was a little surprising.

"To... lead an attack?" the older twin repeated, almost taken back.

"Well... yeah! An attack on their base—I think with all the work you've done, I feel like my wolf needs a reward. So... here's my trust this time," the blonde giggled. But that only served to make Mukuro question the intentions more. Junko really never trusted Mukuro to _lead_ an attack... to go out and aimlessly take lives, sure, but... if there was a mission for violence that needed to be done, Junko would never let her sister near it. It had been confusing at first, why Junko wouldn't let Mukuro do such things—as a soldier, she was actually quite skilled at hosting attacks and ambushes. But... whenever she asked why, her twin sister would just give her a chipper _you're welcome, Muku!_

As if denying her what she did best was a favor.

As if the despair she caused Mukuro was some sort of blessing.

No... it was. It was Junko showing her odd form or affection... right?

"I... you really want me to?"

"Of course, Mukuro... I think you've earned it," Junko replied with a sweet smile, one that Mukuro missed seeing, because it made her heart melt every time.

An attack on the base... an attack on the resistance. This was surely a big task—especially with how the boy's arrival was timed perfectly with the team starting to cause Junko trouble again. The group of teens that could end her sister's reign and Junko trusted her to end them instead?

What was the catch? Was there a catch? Mukuro wasn't sure what Junko was thinking, but... how could she deny her sister what made her happy?

"... Of course, Junko."

"Great!" the blonde cooed cheerfully, clasping her hands together in glee. "Just remember... don't fail me, okay? I'm trusting you on this, sister... prove this trust wasn't misplaced, okay?"

Those words had never weighed more than they did this time, nor had they ever made Mukuro's blood chill so quickly knowing how much was at stake if she did fail.

"I won't, Junko. I promise," she said. "Just tell me when you need me to."

And with a pleased smirk, and barely a pause after her sister's words, Junko replied.

"... Tonight."

* * *

"So... do you think you know this city any better now?"

Makoto just chuckled nervously at Kyoko's question. "Um... I think so? It is a lot to take in all at once, but... I'll learn as I go?" he tried, figuring at least now that he was on the team he would have some time to learn everything along the way. Kyoko just stared, before letting out a brief hum, continuing to lead him back through the crowds of retreating people in the dimming daylight to return to their base.

As the brunette boy followed, he looked over towards the sunset that painted the heavens in warm pinks and golds, just taking in the sights of it. The smears of color that faded into the darkening blue of the sky, and the lowering sun that enveloped them in almost comforting warmth as it bid farewell for the night... how beautiful, he thought.

He hadn't realized they had arrived at the base until he collided with Kyoko—who had stopped to open the door before he walked into her back. The boy stumbled a little as he tried to make sure neither of them fell over. A small, disappointed frown was shown on Kyoko's face as she glanced at him, raising a brow. "You really should pay more attention when you walk, Makoto."

"Heh... sorry, Kyoko," he apologized. "I guess I got really distracted by the sunset, huh?"

"Hm."

Though he knew she wasn't entirely interested, Makoto continued to speak, a small smile on his face. "Really... even in this situation we're in, don't you think it's nice to focus on some good things every once in a while?"

"Like what?" Kyoko questioned, though her tone wasn't all that curious.

"Well... like the sunset," he said with a sweet look on his features. "Don't you think those colors look beautiful?"

"... I suppose."

Makoto suppressed a small sigh, realizing that it would take a lot of work to get her to open up a little. "... Do you want to watch it with me?"

"Hm?" Kyoko mused, glancing at him—Makoto had to wonder why she had just been standing in front of the door as he spoke instead of leading them inside. Perhaps she wanted to finish their conversation before greeting the others? Though she didn't seem terribly interested.

"Do you want to watch the sunset with me?" he repeated. "I've always found it really calming to do... and it's really pretty to look at tonight, too. So... would you want to?"

"... It's not safe to remain outside more than we have to."

"But... the town is calm right now. And if something feels wrong while we're out here watching, we can go inside right away, no questions asked," Makoto bargained. "But... let's give it a shot at least?"

"Makoto—,"

"It's okay if you don't want to, but... I'd really like to do it, if that's alright. And it'd be great if you could join me," he confessed. He couldn't see Kyoko's expression, as she was standing in front of the door, her gloved hand resting on the doorknob, yet hesitating to turn it. Was she considering it? He really hoped so...

"... The first suspicious sign, we go inside. Understood?"

But Makoto just smiled, thankful she was giving it a try. "Understood. Thank you."

Taking off his hoodie, he handed it to her as a mat to sit on, so her skirt wouldn't get dirty—it seemed somewhat silly, but he supposed it was a nice thing to do for a friend, right? She accepted his offer, though insisted that they should wash it off before he wore it again. The two sat side by side, staring silently at the dimming sky for who knew how long.

Neither spoke for a while, just enjoying the sights in absolute quiet, enjoying how peaceful the world was for this precious moment. But as the stars just began to reveal themselves, and the sun was nearly gone over the horizon, Makoto glanced over at the lavender haired girl, wondering if she was actually having as nice time.

"... Kyoko?"

"Hm?"

"... What did you do before all of this chaos happened? Y'know... before the resistance and before what Junko did to the world?"

The female remained silent for a brief pause, leaving Makoto wondering if he overstepped his bounds in any way. Before he could ask, the girl just quietly replied to his question. "I was a detective."

"Really?" Makoto asked, his eyes lighting up. "A detective? That's amazing..."

"I suppose it was. My family was in the business after all, though, so it was to be expected I would be, too."

"Wow... that sounds so cool," the brunette replied with a smile. "So, you solved a bunch of mysteries?"

"Among other things, yes," Kyoko confirmed.

"Like?"

Kyoko was silent after he asked her to elaborate, considering what she wanted to say. She didn't really like talking about her life—or herself in general, nor did she want to out in the open like this...

"... What about you?" she countered, attempting to change the topic. She knew her try wasn't discreet, but it wasn't like she cared much at this moment. If she understood Makoto even a little, he would respect her wanting to change the subject wouldn't he?

He was too nice sometimes.

"Oh... well, I was just normal, I guess. The most exciting stories I could tell would be from school with Sayaka and I. I didn't really do many cool things like solving crimes or singing on a huge stage."

"Singing?'

"Yeah, why?"

Kyoko just glanced at him oddly. "Where... did singing come from for an example?"

"Oh... Sayaka. My friend, remember? She's an idol... y'know," Makoto explained, raising a brow, "Sayaka Maizono...?"

"... I suppose the name does sound familiar."

"Haven't you heard one of her songs at least...?"

With a shrug, Kyoko just closed her eyes, responding simply. "I don't think I have, no. I... have no real interest in things like that."

"Why not?" Makoto asked, but Kyoko just remained quiet. Feeling like if he pushed, the conversation wouldn't go anywhere, Makoto decided to stop talking for a while, and instead enjoy the sights around them in hopes of being able to stay there with her. And there the two stayed, watching the final moments as day turned to night, not uttering a word that could disturb the moment.

The sky had finally turned dark when Makoto let out a soft yawn, feeling a bit of sleepiness wash over him. He closed his eyes, shifting slightly, wondering if it was time to get up and head in now. The sunset had come and gone, and they had spent their time watching it—Kyoko was sure to want to go in right now...

Yet as he adjusted a little to try and stand up, he became aware of a soft weight that had fallen against his shoulder, and with a brief glance over to his right, he noticed Kyoko, having dozed off.

"Kyo...ko?" he whispered, wondering if he should wake her. It was unlikely for her to be the type to just fall asleep wherever, but he supposed it was fine—it had been a long day with them walking the entire city, and he couldn't blame her for being tired.

She didn't respond—was she deep enough asleep to be dreaming? It would have been surprising if she was, honestly, and Makoto decided it was best not to disturb her then. They would be fine for now, right? Surely if something happened, they would hear it and awaken before something happened—or the others members would hear and come get them?

Makoto supposed it wasn't a good idea to rely on possibilities for their safety, but... as Kyoko's body just slumped against his own in her slumber, and Makoto's own sleepiness began to creep in, he couldn't find enough reasons to get up and move around again.

They would be fine until morning...

* * *

 **I'm really sorry for the delay on this, and hopefully this chapter is okay enough that this update isn't a let down. I'll get back into the swing of regular updates soon, I promise.**

 **And yeah Tomoyo is alive. But all of you knew that because you're all smart (and because I'm cliche as shit).**

 **But... yeah. Stuff is happening. Bad stuff if happening. I mean like, "shit's 'bout to get real" stuff is happening. Took long enough, though.**

 **Also... sort of a not really "important" question, but... I was considering (maybe later on, anyway) writing a oneshot collection that goes along in this universe/story. Like... basically, oneshots based off of people/ideas/pairings/etc. in this magic AU. What would you guys think of that? Mostly just as little side-stories and spinoffs to go with it, but that don't make major impacts to the plot. Would you guys be cool with that, or should I not? And if I did, would you guys have any suggestions? Let me know, I'd love to hear what you guys think of that. But for now, it's more important to continue with this one, so... yeah!**

 **And as a little side comment- when my friend told me that Fuyuhiko's sister canonically had a name (back when that episode came out, and I hadn't seen the ending scene yet with her), I flipped my shit thinking I was gonna have to change what I used in this story into her canon name in every chapter she was in. But corny matching names of winter and summer have won, because even the creators can't resist it, I guess? idk sorry**

 **Anyway, thank you to the two guests for the reviews you guys left! They made my day, thanks so much for the feedback! I appreciate it!**

 **That's about all I can say now, but I hope you guys enjoyed this, and c'ya next chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13

Kyoko looked back at the two of them—both sound asleep, leaning against each other, relaxed completely. It almost looked like some picture-perfect moment between lovers—was that what people would think of it as? That she and Makoto were...?

Regardless, it didn't matter much to her. Though it was her own fault for the setting of her slumber—being outside at night was vulnerable and risky—but at the very least, it made searching the area easier for her without having to open doors when she didn't have a physical form at the time of her dreaming. She did wish that Makoto had gone inside, though, instead of dozing off alongside her—but it was likely he didn't want to leave her out here, nor did he want to wake her if she was tired. He was too kind sometimes. Truly too kind for his own good in this world...

But for right now, it didn't matter—she had to focus on the task at hand, anyway. As long as Kyoko scouted the city for the night—and there was no sign of incoming trouble—this consciousness of hers could return to her body, and she could go on with her day when morning came, just as she did every time.

With one final, parting gaze at her figure, and the peaceful form of the boy beside her, Kyoko began to walk off, keeping a careful eye on the gloomy, yet undisturbed city around her. The day's events were relaying in her head as she did, recalling every possible detail she could, knowing that if anything stuck out as suspicious today, it was worth caution tonight.

According to Sakura's call, there was one member missing from the Despair's city last night—Mukuro, she believed the name was? Yes, that sounded right...

So, this Mukuro person was gone then—what could that mean, exactly? It wasn't likely that she had left to start an attack somewhere—news would have traveled quickly if that were the case, not to mention nighttime wasn't ideal for such acts from the Ultimate Despair. People were in their houses, asleep, vulnerable... it was too easy for Junko, so it seemed. Daytime appeared to be her preference, when people were awake and aware. When they could feel the paranoia and fear...

So, if it wasn't an attack, what else could it be? Kyoko stopped for a moment to ponder the possibilities. If she wasn't preparing for an attack the night before, there were two likely options—either Mukuro was somehow dead, or she was simply elsewhere.

Deciding it was best to err on the side of caution, she assumed Mukuro was still alive to continue assisting Junko with her reign of terror. In that case, what had she been doing?

... No, stay focused. Think about it during the day, she chided herself, recalling how she needed to keep watch on the city for now. It was a task she had set for herself a while back—ever since the resistance found this base, she would keep watch throughout the city to make sure that nobody knew this was where they stayed. Though riots and attacks occurred as always, Kyoko made sure the resistance's residence stayed as discreet as she could manage it.

It was the only way to keep them safe and still able to help, after all.

So as she continued her patrol, Kyoko remained quiet and focused, knowing this was what she needed to do. This was what she had promised herself—she would complete what he couldn't.

And if he died trying to stop this tragedy, she would succeed in that goal he made... she knew she could, after all. She had to. Even if she didn't owe that man much... his death wouldn't be meaningless, at least—

Kyoko let out a quiet hiss, placing a hand against her chest, feeling a familiar tug and strain deep within her. She _really_ wished her boundaries extended more than just the edge of this city. Simply a mile of distance didn't do much to help her—what good was being a Dreamer if her abilities weren't as useful as she needed them to be? With a disdainful _tsk_ , Kyoko took a few steps back, not wanting to push her limits and strand herself by severing the connection. That wouldn't be useful to anyone, nor a desirable fate for her in any sort of way.

Perhaps it was time to head back and take a different path, then? That sounded like a good idea, considering she couldn't go any further. Turning sharply on her heel, Kyoko made her way into the city once more, backtracking her steps before taking another route once she hit the building that once was a pastry shop. And from one edge of the city to the next, Kyoko continued keeping an eye on everything she saw, taking note of anything worth remembering.

It wasn't until she saw something making their way towards the city in the distance that she stopped cold in her search, gazing out at the sight with narrowed eyes, trying to deduce what those approaching silhouettes were. In the barely rising sun, it was hard to make out what it was, but taking a few steps forward, feeling that sting in her chest where the boundaries were just starting to cut in, Kyoko waited, watching the figures close in, wondering what on Earth was happening.

It wasn't until they got close that Kyoko saw them, saw the jagged shaped eyes glowing a bright shade of red, and realized there was going to be havoc soon to follow with their arrival. Studying the people who approached with the dozens of units, she recognized a few—but most of all, she recognized the black-haired woman in familiar looking clothes from the day before, in the head of the crowd that approached them.

And even if it was only a parting glance from behind at the time, she wasn't so forgetful that she wouldn't recall that this had to have been the woman Makoto was talking to when they were at her father's house.

A woman who was apparently part of Ultimate Despair.

A woman she had never before now seen, unlike the rest of the Ultimate Despair members... the only one she didn't recognize. Though there had been plenty of times that people outside of Junko's most trusted were part of a riot, never were they with Monokuma units at the same time... so who was this woman?

It clicked.

... Was that was Mukuro had been doing? Tailing them for an attack?

Tailing them... for how long?

The realization hit her a few moments later, and without a second wasted, Kyoko bolted back into the city, tripping over her feet in her attempt to reach her body so she could awaken and warn everyone.

An attack was coming, and this attack was personal, wasn't it?

* * *

With a choked gasp, Kyoko startled awake, turning her gaze towards Makoto, who seemed to stir as well from the surprising noise the girl next to him just emitted.

"W-wha...?" he murmured groggily, glancing at Kyoko with sleepy movements, but upon catching the stern, yet somewhat shaken look in Kyoko's expression, he sat upright, rubbing his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Makoto, get the others quickly, and run. Now."

"Run...? Where? _Why_?"

His questions weren't answered, however, as the lavender-haired girl got to her feet and merely repeated herself. "Get the others, and then run as fast as you can—don't look back. I'll be joining you in just a moment."

Makoto wanted to question, he wanted to know why, he wanted to know what was wrong, he wanted to know what had her so worried... but he sensed the urgency in her orders, and without another word muttered, he scrambled up to stand, and nodded, running into the base. It was still early, and though Makoto expected some of them to be up at least, it seemed that no one was awake or downstairs yet. So with a deep breath, Makoto shouted out for everyone, loud enough to echo throughout the halls.

"Guys! _Guys_!"

With a few irritated shouts, he noticed the members slowly starting to leave their rooms. Slowly, not realizing the urgency—no, that wasn't good enough, it was too slow.

" _Guys!_ We need to run! Now!"

"W-why?" Chihiro stammered, wiping tears from their eyes with a fearful frown, as they descended the stairs.

"I... I don't know. But Kyoko seemed panicked, and this is what she told us to do—,"

"Shit... we've never evacuated during an attack here before," Leon hissed, letting out a string of swears under his breath, "Don't tell me... no one was ever supposed to know this was our base!"

Not sure if Leon was expecting a reply, the brunette boy just shook his head, counting for the final person to show up.

"We don't have time. We need to get out of here," he repeated, ushering everyone outside of the house, as Komaru came up to him, gripping his arm. She let out a soft whimper, and Makoto turned to look at her, his expression reading unease. He hoped she wouldn't notice—but of course she did, she knew her brother well after all.

"M-Makoto—,"

"Komaru, we need to run. I promise, it'll be alright, but we need to get out of here now, okay?" Makoto reassured, the same commanding urgency in his voice as Kyoko had used prior. Sayaka approached, tugging on Komaru's sleeve as if to drag the girl out of the room—and Makoto followed right behind them, holding his breath, hoping that it was all going to be okay.

Though how he should have known that hope would be crushed.

Hearing Haku let out a bitter swear under his breath, and seeing Chihiro shakenly hiding behind Aoi, Makoto glanced over, seeing five people standing among several Monokuma units, all of which were almost... waiting to attack, waiting for specific targets that were given to them.

That couldn't have been good.

"So... this is the resistance?" Nagito hummed, looking over the group of teens with a calculating expression. "... How sad. They surely don't seem to be symbols of any hopeful future. It's disappointing to think this is what despair is up against, don't you agree? That these kids are the ones to stop everything..."

"But still," Akane shouted, cracking her knuckles loudly, her fists clenched and ready to fight. She stared down a few of the members before grinning, looking forward to the spar. "These are the ones ruining Junko's plans... we need to get rid of them, right!?"

"Enough, you two," Peko hissed from her spot next to Mikan, both of the females brandishing a shining sword and a syringe, waiting for Mukuro's orders. And in the middle of it all, Mukuro was looking Kyoko dead in the eyes, before spitting out her words bitterly. "... You knew this would happen eventually, Kyoko. Don't bother denying it."

"I suppose so, _Mukuro_."

Reeling back slightly at the fact that Kyoko had deduced who she was, Mukuro let out a disdainful tsk and let her stony mask take place over her startled expression—was it her face that she recognized from that fateful night? Because she was dressed as her sister when she killed him...

Not that it mattered, she had a job to do right now. For her sister's sake, for her sister's pride in her for once... she couldn't fail it right now.

"D-Dammit... how did you even find—,"

"That boy over there," Mukuro replied, cutting off Leon abruptly as she pointed to Makoto, who startled back a little. "I was ordered to follow him, and I followed him back here last night."

Sending an incredulous glance over at the brunette, Leon grit his teeth, but Makoto just had his eyes fixed on Mukuro, almost disbelieving. This girl had seemed so nice... was he really that clueless? He had to have been, but... was it wrong to have faith in people? To see the best in someone until proven wrong?

... Maybe so.

"So.. you really were... why?" Makoto asked her, looking at the dark-haired soldier with a saddened expression, feeling foolish for having been naive and believing in strangers. Hadn't he learned better by now? He wished he had.

Mukuro just returned his gaze numbly, locking eyes with him, but as she tried to respond, as she thought of any answer to give him, her mouth wouldn't open, and sound wouldn't come out. Did she feel remorseful? Why? She had hardly ever spoken with this boy, and she knew if her sister wanted him disposed, she would do it for her beloved twin in a heartbeat. She had no reason to care for this boring child. So why did she almost feel bad for betraying such an innocent person like this... someone who had truly believed in her good...

But she knew his naive and misguided opinions of her didn't matter, for even Mukuro no longer believed in her own good at this point, so instead of replying to his inquiry of why she was doing this, she merely turned to her companions and muttered, "Now."

And as the four Despairs charged forward with the units lunging towards them, the color drained from Makoto's face, and his breath caught in his throat. He seemed frozen, and if it wasn't for Kyoko grabbing his hand and pulling him with her as the resistance members attempted to flee, the boy was sure the Monokuma unit that slashed out at him would surely have dug its claws into the flesh of his throat like it had aimed to.

"Makoto, run!" Kyoko scolded, dragging him along behind her. The boy swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, racing forward with the detective girl as the duo nearly stumbled over their feet in order to escape. But even if distance was gained, Makoto was unsure of how they would evade the attackers long enough to actually get to safety—the adrenaline of their dangerous situation surely fueled their pace, yet he knew that there was no way to outrun them forever. Should they fight? Should they keep running? Where would they even run to that the others wouldn't follow? Was there even a chance of escape, or of survival for them?

He didn't know. That scared him the most.

Makoto was dragged out of his musing of his fears as he stumbled slightly, tripping over his own feet in his desperate pace to flee. Trying to catch his balance before wiping out, Makoto's breath hitched, bracing himself for the worst. Kyoko's grip on his hand tightened, as if refusing to let him go—Makoto would have mused why, though he knew that in this moment, concentrating on anything but survival was dangerous. He glanced back, catching sight of their pursuers closing in on them, and his heart dropped, realizing that he might just not live to see tomorrow.

"Kyoko, we can't outrun them forever!" the brunette boy exclaimed to his companion, whipping his head back to face in front of him as the duo maneuvered throughout the city in an attempt to lose the threat coming after them. By now, Makoto registered panicked citizens fleeing the town as well, shouting, screaming, crying...

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Kyoko hissed, her voice holding an uncharacteristic amount of venom—was it to mask fear? He didn't know. He didn't have time to think about it. Makoto's mind was reeling, as he glanced desperately around at the countless other resistance members alongside and in front of them, begging everything he knew that somehow, _someone_ had an idea to save them—to stop this. But through it all, he saw Leon floating above the group, trying to get more distance covered this way. He saw Mitsuki and Aiko—the two lovers hand-in-hand as they bolted away, fingers interlocked as if they feared this would be their last moments together. Aoi was carrying Chihiro on her back so the smaller one wouldn't have to run on their own. Hotaru ran alongside Celeste and Yasuhiro, clutching what Makoto could only assume was Molly close to her chest, her mouth moving silently as if whispering pleas to see the next day. Byakuya had that megaphone with him that Makoto recognized from their fight in Teien against these units...

... Fight. They had to fight, didn't they?

"Kyoko, we can't run forever. They'll follow us. We have to fight them," the boy replied, his tone loud enough to be heard by the lavender-haired female beside him—at least, if her reaction was anything to gauge—yet even to Makoto, it was drowned out in the screams of fear from the civilians and the pounding pain in his head. Kyoko remained silent, her eyes narrowed as she considered what he said. They could fight, sure—the units were easy enough to take care of if their success at Teien City was any indication. But the last time Kyoko had stood up to Ultimate Despair themselves...

No. She swore she would succeed where he failed.

Stopping sharply, Kyoko picked up a large stone from the ground, spinning on the heel of her boot as she pelted it at someone, something, _anything_. The rock flew towards one of the units, smacking them in their shining red eye and knocking them back onto Mikan's legs, tripping the nurse enough to stall her, right as Kyoko made a sharp turn down the alleyway with the others to gain more distance. The gesture wasn't much—stones would not save them. But it was enough to at least pass her message onto the other members who saw.

Makoto tugged on Kyoko's hand, almost urging her to let him go so he could help too, but the detective's grip tightened, as if she needed him to stay where she could keep track of him. Before the boy could ask her or tell her to let go, he heard a sneeze from some female beside him, causing him to look over at Touko. With her braid clasped in her hand, just beneath her nose, the purple-haired author's eyes were tightly shut, and she seemed to shake a little as she stood in place. One Monokuma waddled up to her from behind, getting too close for comfort, and Makoto opened his mouth to scream for her to look out.

The next sound that echoed wasn't his own cry, but the feverish cackle that escaped the author's own lips, her crimson eyes shooting open as her tongue rolled out, bit down tightly between her teeth. Watching her whip out a pair of scissors, Makoto had just managed to watch her slice up the approaching unit, before almost _expertly_ throwing another sharp pair of scissors into the head of a unit nearing Aoi and Chihiro—though that was all he got to see before Kyoko gave a sharp tug on his arm, prompting him to look forward again. He did, however, hear the sound of a bursting explosion behind him, accompanied by a surprised cry from Chihiro, and he could only assume by the return of the frenzied laughter that Touko—or, some version of Touko—had succeeded in defeating those two Monokuma units she came up against.

"You're _welcome_ for that, funbags!" he heard this new version of Touko chime out, earning an indignant cry from Aoi, but the swimmer girl said nothing in retaliation, obviously at least happy that she had been saved. Makoto glanced back at this new version of the author with widened eyes, completely floored by this change. Kyoko yanked on his arm again, forcing him to look in front of him again-just in time to avoid colliding with a wall.

"If it will satiate your curiosity, that's Genocider Syo. I'll explain more to you later," Kyoko replied bluntly, not even glancing at Makoto to see his face of realization at her words. "Genocider... Syo? Like... like that serial killer that used to be in the news!?" he asked her, his voice residing somewhere between a shout of pure alarm and shock, and a disbelieving whisper, as if afraid to express his fear too loudly. Kyoko just let out a terse hum, before emphasizing her previous statement, "Not now, Makoto!"

Biting his lip, the brunette boy fell into silence, noting that Kyoko seemed somewhat... tense? No, that wasn't right. If he didn't know her better, he'd think she was _scared_...

... Like he knew anyone as well as he thought, he mused bitterly to himself, glancing back once at Mukuro, who locked eyes with him for the briefest of moments before he turned around to look forward and speed up his pace with Kyoko. The soldier let out a quiet hiss from under her breath, watching Genocider as she wiped out the units as they ran—and accompanied with Byakuya blasting them with his Hacking Gun, she knew that this mission was about to fail. Why couldn't Junko have trusted her with more Monokuma units? Was it because she had no faith in Mukuro to succeed in the first place?

... Or maybe she had faith in Mukuro to succeed by herself.

With that thought passing through her mind, Mukuro fingers reached numbly for the metal bead bracelet, untwisting the loose wrappings that Makoto had used to keep is clasped. Yanking it off, the soldier caught the small spheres of lead in her hand and took aim, knowing she couldn't fail Junko now.

The first makeshift bullet that was shot passed right near Haku, who merely reeled in shock as it grazed his cheek. He raised a hand to his face, smearing the blood across as he pulled it away and looked at the color on his fingertips. Glancing back at the soldier, who was preparing another bead to shoot at Chihiro's back, the ginger-haired boy hollered out, "Hina, Chihiro, _watch out_!"

Alerted by the tall boy's shout, Aoi's eyes widened, barely managing to veer to the side and dodge the ball of metal that was launched at the two of them. The swimmer picked up her pace, trying to gain as much distance as she could from the soldier shooting at them. Hearing now two shots ringing out, the group seemed aware of Mukuro's new tactic, as each one of them stumbled faster and faster, attempting to outrun them now that fighting seemed like a useless option.

Mukuro hissed to herself when her next bullet aimed towards Genocider was shielded as the murderer picked up one of the last four Monokuma units to block it from getting her. She tossed the damaged unit so casually towards another one ,as its circuits sparked and it became nothing but a blast of fire, and the soldier let out a quiet swear, watching Peko decide enough was enough. As the swordwoman went charging at the killer, and upon hearing Peko's sword scratch and clash between the blades of Genocider's scissors as the two engaged, Mukuro felt fear gathering deep in her chest. Her hands were shaking, her aim was off. Her breathing was quick, she was feeling light-headed. She was scared, so scared of failing her sister...

 _She could not fail!_

Stopping in her tracks to get proper aim, the soldier took a deep breath, raising a hand with another bead in between her fingertips. Closing one eye, she focused her sights on towards someone, _anyone_ , before flicking her wrist and launching the bullet.

Hotaru let out a cry of pain, tripping over her feet as she landed hard on the ground, the bullet having pierced through her shoulder from behind, leaving out the other side. Before she could even stagger to her feet, Mukuro launched another bullet at the fallen target, lodging the second metal sphere in the girl's lower back. The seamstress let out another loud wail, gripping the ground as she struggled to even _attempt_ at standing. Yasuhiro released a shout of fear, but scooped up the wounded girl after a few moments of Celeste shrieking to _grab her and keep running, you idiot!_

Mukuro ran along with them, trying to get closer to aim for het next victim. Looking into the palm of her left hand, she took note of how many beads remained—only four? How many times had she missed exactly?

Not that it mattered too much now—it just meant that she had to pick her targets carefully. So as she approached Makoto and Kyoko, the duo still clasping hands as they ran, trying to keep up with each other, Mukuro prepared one of the final four bullets, taking aim towards the fleeing form of the lavender-haired girl.

Kyoko barely had time to register that Mukuro—who she swore had just a second prior been chasing them—had stopped running before she felt a sharp pain in the back of her thigh, piercing all the way through her. She stopped cold, dropping to the dirt, her hand finally leaving Makoto's as she grasped her leg. The brunette boy beside her felt a cold sensation of fear befall him when he realized Kyoko went down, and he immediately stopped, kneeling down to her aid. "M-Makoto... go!" she hissed through clenched teeth, trying with everything she had not to show any weakness from the pain. Makoto shook his head, feeling himself starting to tear up in fear for her. Kyoko quickly removed her necktie, struggling to tie it around the wound to stop the bleeding—though she expected Makoto to try and help, she was surprised when the boy took it from her altogether, his hands brushing across her skin as he began to tie the fabric around her injury.

Mukuro noticed how Makoto had stopped to tend to Kyoko's wound, and realized that maybe, just maybe, life wouldn't be so cruel to her as to make her fail Junko now. Plucking one of the remaining three beads from her hand, she stopped, staring out at Makoto as she took aim at his skull.

As she took aim at the clueless, naive boy who thought she had humanity left in her. The boy who had been kind to her even as a stranger, because he wanted to give her a chance. The boy who cared more for others than himself, who wouldn't leave Kyoko behind. Who wouldn't judge Mukuro before getting to know her. The only person who, before tonight, didn't think of her as evil.

The boy who believed in her, even without knowing her.

... She couldn't do it.

So instead, she flicked the bead above him, missing his brain and hitting that blonde girl behind him in the head instead, piercing through her skull right as she turned around to gaze as the duo on the ground and warn them. Aiko didn't stand a chance, her body being rigid for only a moment before being sent collapsing to the ground, blood spilling from the wound on her forehead. Mitsuki screamed, following her girlfriend down as she dropped to her knees, scooping the blonde up in her arms in absolute panic. Makoto looked over at them, his eyes widening as he caught sight of the motionless Aiko, watching streams of blood trail down the features of her face. He heard Mitsuki crying, he could see her tears falling as desperation hit her _hard_ with the need for Aiko—who was by now her only hope—to stay alive.

"No... n-no, no, no, Aiko? Aiko, listen to me! It's... i-it's okay! I-I promise, just... I just... T-Touko! I-I need a healing spell, please!" the filmmaker cried out, looking over at the form of the purple-haired author.

But Genocider—who was currently holding Peko's sword a few inches away from her face by catching it between the blades of her scissors—just looked over and tilted her head. "Eh? A healing spell? What'dya think that'll do?" she asked, sneering slightly towards the burgundy-haired female who couldn't accept the concept of her lover being dead.

With a distressed shriek, Mitsuki glanced down at the motionless figure of her girlfriend that lay in her arms, using one hand to furiously wipe at her own eyes. Gazing at the bullet entrance in her forehead, denial finally abandoned her, and the normally so motherly woman _wailed_ at the realization that she lost her only reason to keep going. Mukuro watched, not bothering to take another step forward, and in the next moment Leon let himself drop to the ground, gripping Mitsuki's arm. "Mitsuki, we need to go," he said sharply, but his tone held a wave of fear and hurt at the fact that they just lost someone so quickly. Mitsuki looked at him through teary eyes, and snapped out, "I won't leave her behind! I-I..."

"We have to, Mitsuki!"

"N-no, I won't! I can't leave—Leon! Leon, let me go! I can't leave her here, n-not like this!" she shouted, but Leon didn't listen, instead muttering an apology through grit teeth and hauling her up into the air—he wasn't used to accounting for the added weight of another person when floating, but he knew he needed to get her going if she was to survive as well.

All the while, Makoto stared helplessly at Aiko's newly deceased body, gazing into the girl's crimson eyes. Despite her eyes already starting to gloss, they were wide open, and he could see them preserving her final emotion. Her despair. He wanted to scream at Mukuro, he wanted to shout at her for just killing an innocent, but he refrained, unable to look back, and knowing it wouldn't matter. It wasn't that she changed or anything like that, he just misjudged her, didn't he?

He was torn from his thoughts when he felt Kyoko pressing on his shoulder, attempting to use him as balance to get up on her feet, her orange necktie now fastened around her bullet wound to keep pressure on it. Knowing that they needed to start fleeing again before Mukuro got another shot at them, he scooped the detective into her arms, trying to carry her as he began to run. Realizing she was the only one left behind, Genocider let out an exasperated huff, slashing a spare pair of scissors towards Peko's face to force the swordswoman to reel back. With the brief moment of separation, the murderer then rushed off after the group, calling out in a sing-song tone that it _wasn't nice to leave a lady behind!_

Mukuro merely watched as the group fled, gazing at them as they left her sight. Akane growled a little, before grumbling to Mukuro. "What? Are we just going to let them leave?"

"... We have what we need," the soldier replied.

"... We do?" Peko asked, looking back at the soldier with a skeptical glance. Nagito approached them moment later with Mikan following behind him, her syringe now empty as she was grinning gleefully. "Think she'll be happy?" the nurse mused, gently reaching out a hand to brush Komaru's bangs out of her face, taking a good look at the face of the sedated girl that Nagito was carrying.

"I think she will... but who knows?" the white-haired boy replied with a soft laugh. "But either way, I'm sure she'll find something to do with her..."

* * *

 **... So yeah. We're officially down one resistance member, with two wounded as well, and one of the newbie members having just been kidnapped!**

 **Though I honestly love how this is _Danganronpa_ of all fandoms and it takes _thirteen chapters_ for someone to finally have died on screen.**

 **I'm also working on the oneshot collection for this, BUT, I wanted to finish this up before I got sidetracked too much from our main plot.**

 **Also, longest chapter so far. Yay?**

 **But nevertheless, thanks to TriMaplenut and Sync Ryu for the reviews, it always makes me smile to read your feedback! You guys are wonderful, thanks for everything!**

 **Hope you guys enjoy, and leave a review if you have any feedback, I'd love to hear what you have to say! C'ya next chapter!**


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